Seismic blast testing can be deadly, resulting in deafness, while shellfish like lobsters and scallops could see their immune systems being suppressed. And these blasts have been shown to cause massive mortality in zooplankton, the tiny organisms that form the base of all marine food chains. Whales and other marine mammals use sound to find food and mates and generally navigate the vast ocean. To them, a seismic blast is a repeated bombing. On the 20th of February 2022 two Cuvier’s beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) were found stranded on Arillas and Agios Gordios beaches on the west side in the island of Corfù. The cause is suspected to be the seismic testing carried out in the the Ionian Sea off the coast of Corfu, by a ship of the Hellenic Petroleum oil company.
Within the Ionian Archipelago, Endangered Mediterranean common dolphins suffered a dramatic decline between 1995 and 2007. Monitoring done in subsequent years, has shown that they likely roam across a much wider area around the Archipelago.
The Cuvier's beaked whale or goose-beaked whale it is smaller than most whales. It has the deepest and longest recorded dives among whales and inhabiting waters deeper than 300 meters.
Agrandissement : Illustration 1
