Dead Whales, Wind Farms and the Hidden Data…
- The UK’s department for the environment has doubled down on its decision to withhold whale deaths data, blaming covid and bird flu for the delay in making it public.
- Concerns are growing that the numbers might have increased since 2018, when more than 1000 cetacean strandings were recorded and exceptional numbers of whales, dolphins and porpoises were found dead and dying on UK beaches.
- Cetacean mortality has apparently coincided with rapid offshore wind farm development, leading to calls for a moratorium on further expansion of the industry.
The UK’s department for the environment, food and rural affairs, Defra, has defended its decision to withhold data relating to cetacean strandings around the UK.
Defra had earlier refused a freedom of information request to obtain the complete figures, which have been hidden from public view since 2018. I challenged their decision and asked for an internal review.
Now, following that review, Defra has doubled down on its resolve to withhold the information, explaining that the data is currently incomplete and that the intention is to release it themselves - though they did not specify when that might be.
They told me “By not releasing this data at this time we are ensuring that incorrect analysis from an incomplete data set cannot be made and conclusions cannot be drawn out of context.”
So why has Defra still not published the information? Covid and bird flu….
Defra told me “The overall context for this request is the fact that the covid pandemic and the UK’s largest ever outbreak of avian influenza have delayed the delivery of the relevant project reports. The reports will be finalised shortly and released in due course, following publication assurance processes.”
But they did not say when. In earlier correspondence they merely suggested that the data would be published ‘eventually’.
It means that Defra has not released the complete annual data for nearly five years.
Data withheld after rise in cetacean deaths
The number of whales, dolphins and porpoises washed up on British coasts has significantly increased in recent years, reaching more than a thousand in 2018, the last year for which complete data was openly published. Since then the figures held by Defra have been concealed from public view, increasing speculation that there may have been even higher levels of cetacean deaths in the intervening years.
While some data has been published independently by research organisations in Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man and Cornwall since 2018, the data for England remains notably absent; this is significant as England accounted for nearly half of all cetacean strandings in the UK during 2018, with 456 reports of stranded whales, dolphins and porpoises that year in England alone.
Defra and the CSIP
The UK’s CSIP (Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme) received project funding from Defra to investigate and collate data for cetacean strandings between 2017 and 2020, with two of the stated aims of the project being that “the database will be searchable through the CSIP website” (which it isn’t) and “to make information on stranding and post-mortems results […] publicly available by annual reports” (which they haven’t done since 2018). But it would appear that the actual realisation of these aims is in the hands of Defra, as back in September the CSIP told me that they would need to ‘seek permission’ to collate and release the data before sharing any figures with me.
The CSIP’s contract with Defra has been renewed and extended to 2030.
The reporting system in the UK means that separate research organisations in Scotland, Wales, Cornwall and the Isle of Man, partner with the CSIP but also maintain their own databases and publish some stranding data independently, meaning that a fragmented picture is available to the public; however according to Defra, an objective aim of the CSIP programme is to collect, collate and report data for all cetacean strandings around the coast of the UK and make them publicly available through annual reports. The fact that Defra and the CSIP have not managed to ‘finalise’ the data since 2018 is incredibly frustrating and has led to concerns over a serious lack of transparency and credibility.
So currently we don’t know the full extent of cetacean deaths across the UK. Indeed, the Isle of Man in its 2021 report, commented on this lack of cohesion arising from the missing CSIP annual reports, pointing out that due to the lack of published data, “comparisons between Isle of Man strandings data and the wider UK results cannot be made at this time.”
Meanwhile, it’s notable that other neighbouring countries do openly publish current information relating to cetacean strandings, with Ireland and France, for example, having regularly updated online databases easily accessible to the public, it’s all very open and transparent - as it should be.
What is the cause of the upturn in cetacean strandings?
For some time I have suggested a possible link between the marked increase in cetacean mortality and the proliferation of offshore wind farm construction - the numbers of whale strandings has apparently increased in line with the development of the offshore wind industry.
This may be coincidence - marine mammals face a number of challenges, but until we have the latest figures, we will not be able to clearly identify a possible link, or prove otherwise.
There’s a growing perception that noise linked to the offshore wind industry has been, at least, a contributing factor in cetacean deaths, with examples such as the mass stranding of Pilot whales last year in Scotland leading to much speculation and debate.
Contrary to Defra’s concerns that people might draw conclusions ‘out of context’ from the incomplete data set, I still believe that the public has a right to see it and that we are entitled to formulate our own conclusions.
Or are we to rely on government departments thinking for us now…?
Besides, it’s fairly obvious that people are more likely to jump to the wrong conclusions when faced with government departments that conceal data from public view.
Following the money
Recently, with the offshore wind industry in turmoil over financial viability, there’s been renewed interest in onshore projects - let’s not forget that the wind industry, despite any claims to the contrary, is there to make profit. If that sniff of profit disappears, so the industry will move on. That’s how business works. The industry will seek out opportunities. But whether offshore or on land, don’t believe the spin - this isn’t about ‘saving the planet’ or ‘green energy’.
Indeed, as we have seen many times, a clumsy pursuit of this type of renewable energy actively destroys nature.
Displacement of wildlife
A recent study, based on research from 22 countries, concluded that a high percentage of birds, bats and other mammals were displaced in areas of land based wind turbines, leading the Natural Resources Institute Finland to suggest that “The full or partial displacement of individuals from the wind turbine area may reduce population sizes which will especially have an adverse impact on rare and threatened species.” The study noted that “displacement-induced population decline could be mitigated by situating wind power in low-quality habitats […] and creating high-quality habitats to compensate for habitat loss.” But in so many cases that doesn’t seem to happen.
Are we to believe that there might not be similar detrimental effects on marine species due to offshore wind turbines?
One thing is certain, with marine animals already struggling thanks to human activity, we should not be building our ugly wind factories in their environment. Besides the fanciful notion of rudimentary wind energy, (it’s still comparatively basic and inefficient), it’s incredibly selfish to think that our needs are more important than those of the majestic marine mammals that inhabit the world’s oceans. I believe that in pursuing our imperfect ideals and implementing substandard energy solutions, we are actively killing whales. And that’s not okay.
Meanwhile, a growing public unease surrounding secrecy within influential government departments doesn’t inspire confidence in the whole questionable business.
Just because Defra won’t share the statistics, at least for now, they can’t stop us seeing dead whales, or decapitated birds, or vast swathes of countryside filled with concrete, seascapes blighted and communities divided as the wind industry continues to expand.
And, of course, we’re bound to draw conclusions….
I have further challenged Defra’s decision and I’m continuing to push for the release of the data as soon as possible. So watch this space.
N.B. I have no agenda other than a genuine love for this amazing planet.
I am not paid by anyone to write this.
I’m not a ‘shill’ for the nuclear industry, nor the fishing industry, nor any government or political party.
I’m an independent citizen of this incredible planet, with a strong desire to leave a world as wonderful for future generations as it has been for me.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organisation, employer or company.
All information is provided on an as-is basis. It is the reader’s responsibility to verify their own facts.
