Chilean officials are asking fishermen to help save birds caught in nets after thousands of dead fowl appeared along coastal Chile this week.
At least 2,300 dead birds
were found along beaches between Cartagena and Playa de Santo Domingo,
Chile, said Jose Luis Britos, and environment professor and director of
the Museum of Natural History of San Antonio, Chile.
Many of the birds, which
come from several species, had broken wings and bruising on the outside
of their bodies -- injuries consistent with getting trapped in fishing
nets, Britos said.
He said bird deaths from
fishing nets occur every year, but never at this level. In a typical
year, about 15 to 20 dead birds are found, Britos said.
One
hypothesis for the increase this year involves climate. As Chilean
weather gets colder this time of year, migrating birds that would
normally travel north for warmth are instead lingering to feast on an
influx of anchovies and sardines that had fled the coast of Peru in
search of cooler waters.
Earlier this week,
Peruvian authorities say warm waters off that country's coast are to
blame for the deaths of more than 5,000 marine birds.
The Peruvian National
Center for the Study of El Nino said that since February, the Peruvian
coast has had an abundance of warm water as a result of marine currents
throughout the world's oceans. The warm water has altered the marine
ecosystem, it said.
The warm water has led
fish such as anchovies and other species that live in surface waters to
migrate to deeper water toward the south. As a result, pelicans and
other birds that feed from the surface of the water died of starvation.
"If
these oceanographic conditions persist, it is likely that its impact
will spread to other areas of the (Peruvian) coast even during the fall,
which could make the numbers increase and affect other marine species,"
the report stated.
The Peruvian ministry of
environment said seafood is still safe to eat, and encouraged everyone
to continue to support local fishermen, according to state-run Andina
news agency.
Officials in Peru
continue to search for the cause of death of almost 900 dolphins since
the beginning of the year. The health ministry is awaiting final results
from molecular analysis looking for the morbillivirus, which previously
has been linked to dolphin deaths.
The Chilean agriculture
and livestock ministry and staff from Britos' center have called for a
meeting with fishermen for Monday. They are asking fishermen to try to
save trapped birds before closing their nets.
Britos said he worries that until Monday, the number of dead birds could rise significantlySource: CNN News