Why Iran’s war is threatening whales near South Africa | Environmental Issues

The United States-Israeli war on Iran has disrupted the world’s energy, fertilizers, chemicals and even helium, the world’s most destructive resource.

It is now also threatening South Africa’s coastal whales.

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The fight against the Houthis had already diverted ships from the Red Sea and the Suez Canal since 2023. Now the controversial ban on transit through the Strait of Hormuz, imposed by Iran and the US, has intensified this change.

But increased traffic near South Africa’s coast has “significantly increased” the danger to whales, researchers have warned.

This is according to a study carried out this month at a meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), which showed that the south-west coast of South Africa is increasing, which is affecting the population of whales in the region.

Why have shipping methods changed?

Navigation in the Red Sea region was disrupted in November 2023, when Houthi rebels began targeting ships sailing in the region in cooperation with the Palestinians amid Israel’s civil war in Gaza.

Recently, attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, which is currently closed by Iran, have also prompted shipping companies to send ships from the Middle East to sail around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.

The disruption has almost doubled traffic in the area. About 89 merchant ships sailed around Southern Africa between March 1 and April 24, according to the International Monetary Fund’s PortWatch Monitor. At the same time in 2023, there were only 44 ships.

What can whales be affected by?

There are more than 40 species of whales in South African waters. In the southernmost part of the country, at the Cape of Good Hope, there are known to be southern right whales, humpback whales, and Bryde’s right whales. There are also Orcas or killer whales, sperm whales, Minke whales, and dolphins in the area.

Large humpback whales feed in this area and travel from there to Antarctica annually. Officials say they are the largest group of humpbacks known on Earth. Some studies place their numbers between 11,000 and 13,000.

In the 20th century, many species were threatened by whaling. Although the southern right and humpback whales have recovered, others, such as the Antarctic Blue, Fin, and Sei whales, are still on the South African Red List as Endangered or Critically Endangered.

How are whales affected?

Whales are directly affected by traffic, as it increases their chances of being hit by a moving vehicle.

“There have been videos of people on cargo ships passing by huge numbers of humpback whales,” researcher Els Vermeulen from the University of Pretoria told AFP.

Vermeulen, who led the study that was presented at the IWC meeting, said that in such cases, the bulls are often unaware of the danger, and can be distracted by feeding.

“Obviously, their comments on social media were, ‘Wow, look how many whales we’re seeing,'” Vermeulen said. “My heart stopped – you know he’s hitting a few fish.” Speeding vehicles, which pose a major risk, has increased four times, he said.

Whales don’t know how to interact with ships, Chris Johnson, global director of the World Wildlife Fund’s Protecting Whales and Dolphins Initiative, said.

He said: “You think that when you hear a loud noise, you go away, but that’s not the case with other species. For example, Blue whales in Los Angeles, when they hear a ship coming, they just sink to the bottom, he added.

Whales are also at risk due to changes in their behavior, which some experts attribute to climate change and other factors. For example, humpbacks in South Africa only started feeding on the west coast, which is growing rapidly, in 2011, said Ken Findlay, a blue-chip economic consultant who contributed to the report.

Is the risk of ships striking whales increasing?

Researchers say, because of the increase in human activity.

Vermeulen and his team previously conducted a study on mortality among southern right whales (SRW) in the Western Cape Coast area in November 2022, after seeing an increase in human activity in the area, such as fishing. They only use data collected by government agencies.

The results, published in the IWC Journal of Cetacean Research and Management, found that between 1999 and 2019, there were 11 accidents out of 97 deaths. There was another collision involving 16 ships that resulted in no deaths.

Although entanglement by fishing gear was the leading cause of death, the researchers concluded that deaths from ship collisions may not be counted – whales hit by ships at sea often sink to the bottom of the ocean.

Can whales be protected?

Some of the recommendations of the report submitted by Vermeulen’s team to the whale watch organization say that even a small change in road conditions near the coast of South Africa could reduce the risk of strikes of other whales by 20 to 50 percent.

Whales in other areas are also endangered and need protection.

Another company, the Swiss-based MSC, has already started to regulate its ships to protect critical whale areas, especially around Greece (Hellenic Trench) to protect sperm whales and in Sri Lanka to protect blue whales.

Experts say speed reduction measures, which greatly reduce fatal accidents and reduce underwater noise, can help.

Researchers are also testing whether ships can be alerted to the presence of whale super pods via radio or specially designed software.

South Africa’s environment ministry told AFP that “all available options and mitigation measures will be reviewed” to protect the whales at the Cape of Good Hope.

“Once the scientific research and assessment is completed, the marine authorities will be at the forefront, together with (the ministry) to define the way forward,” it said.