Blue whales near Yemeni coast suffering suspiciously high mortality rate due to pollution and war

Blue whales near Yemeni coast suffering suspiciously high mortality rate due to pollution and war

The Ministry of Fisheries on Saturday warned of the continued unnatural mortality of blue whales on the coasts of the Red Sea as a result of hostile activities and pollution caused by battleships and ships belonging to the Saudi-led coalition forces.

The Ministry confirmed, in a statement, the death of a number of blue whales on the shores of the Red Sea, including the coasts of Hodeidah province.

The statement indicated according to information received from Hodeida, that five blue whales and one humpback whale were found on the coasts of Al-Jah area in Bait Al-Faqih district during the past 34 days, and that this number may increase.

In its statement, the Ministry of Fisheries confirmed the involvement of “the aggression coalition forces” in these serious crimes against marine life as the injury and killing of whales caused by their warships.

It explained that the ship strikes, the pollution they cause, the entanglement of fishing equipment, and the use of bombs while hunting are among the biggest threats facing whales, fish and the marine environment, stressing that the noise made by warships and their excessive speed cause a lot of damage to all marine life.

The Ministry called on fishermen and citizens to report any new deaths of whales, to be examined by specialists in the Ministry and the Marine Sciences Authority to identify the cause of their death.