The empty sea

Whales are likely starving and entering dangerously shallow water in a desperate search for food. Whales are not immune to starvation.

The 650 plus pilot whales beached at Farewell Spit, New Zealand, provide 'canary in the coal mine' warning of the state of the world ocean.

There are a number of possible whale stranding scenarios.

Whales are air breathing mammals.

Mammals have instinct to avoid drowning.

A sick and weakened mammal can be expected to instinctively seek shallow water to avoid drowning.

Healthy whales appear to follow even one suffering in their pod.

Animal behaviour in a herd of goats is similar.

First-hand experience reveals when one goat in a mob of 25 is shot in a culling event the rest of the mob sometimes just stand there apparently stunned.

When another is shot the mob might remain without running away.

Then another and another and another can be shot and the remainder will continue to stay until only a few remain, then those run away.

Shark or killer whale mauling of whales likely also leads to weakness and stranding.

It appears there is no scientific evidence big pod numbers of whales beached and died years ago, or, that the present increase in pod size stranding is natural.

The numbers of ocean mammals stranding and dying in this day and age are increasing . Records are now being broken, worldwide, Ireland and NZ in one month alone.

Photo evidence of beached whales shows evidence of starvation, sunken areas of body, less rounded body, emaciation.

Empirical evidence shows fish populations devastated worldwide.

Fishing may not be the cause even though it appears to be.

Fishing boats are visible on the surface but there is likely another cause.

Most farmers are aware animals do not breed successfully when starving.

Despite years and years of fishing restrictions wild fish are still not re-populating as they should be. Fish are not immune to starvation either.

Seagrass nurseries on which small food-web fish depend, on which big fish and ocean animals depend, are also now generally devastated worldwide.

Sewage nutrient overload is proliferating algae, algae is smothering seagrass.

Seagrass has economic and ecological value.

Oceans are now impacted by over 7 billion humans.

Farmers are blamed for excessive nutrient but farmland runoff only occurs in association with rain.

City and town sewage is dumped daily. Too much nutrient is usually destructive.

Historically unprecedented algae mass is linked to anoxia in ocean dead zones.

During late 2016 the salmon aquaculture industry in Scotland announced less oil in farmed salmon due to worldwide shortage of oily wild fishfor aquaculture feed.

Not enough oily fish to feed aquaculture forms evidence small fish populations are devastated, worldwide.

Humpback whale stranding and death from propeller strike has been occurring in narrow shipping channelswhere whales hunt for menhaden. Some people think there are plenty of menhaden.

Menhaden populations have however been devastated to the point even the fishing industry is callingfor reduction in catch.

Pacific sardine numbers have plummeted 90 percent since 2006.

Peru holds the world record catch of 12 million tonnes of anchovy in one year.

Numerous small fish populations have collapsedworldwide at a time of human population increase impacting the food-web nursery ecosystems.

Ask older fishermen. Older fishermen and coastal dwelling people in most countries can remember the flocks of seabirds diving and feeding on numerous schools of fish almost daily. Now such sightings are rare generally.

In Bass Strait between Tasmania and Australia in the 1970's, lights from 'floating cities' of squid boats could be seen at night but by 1980 that fishery also ceased to exist. Whales eat squid.

Bass Strait bays used to support extensive seagrass nurseries but by 1981

Westernport Bay alone had lost 100 square km of seagrass from a total of 150 sq km. Penguins depend on small fish and squid. A 1985 study revealed mass starvation of fairy penguins in Bass Strait waters was due to primary starvation.

Increase in the big number of whales stranding as well as stranding events, including adjacent to Bass Strait, absolutely coincide with worsening seagrass area loss and fish population devastation.

Australia now imports over 70 percent of fish consumed and/or used in feed meal annually. Whales lack restaurant and supermarket and feed bin access.

Downstream from Bass Strait, westerly winds push flotsam and nutrient in surface water even from the Indian Ocean and southern Australia, eastward to NZ, including into the Farewell Spit sediment trap - seagrass nursery, where the mass stranding occurred.

Farewell Spit is not new, and it seems whales have not stranded there in such big numbers ever before.

What is new at Farewell Spit is that a scientific review suggests seagrass habitats were once much more widespread. Loss has very likely worsened.

Migratory ocean animals unable to feed in one area of ocean must impact on another area or die.

Small-fish dependent seabirds are continuing to die in mass low-population starvation events, including mutton birds migrating between the Bering Sea and Tasmania Australia.

In 2003 National Geographic reported that since 1950 big fish stocks had fallen 90 percent.

During 2014 the Secretariat of the Pacific Community reported populations of the four main species of tuna in the Pacific have now reached historically low levels.

This is not just about ocean animals.

Pacific islander protein deficiency malnutrition involves increase in NCD, major organ failure, Diabetes II, stunting, small babies and increase in disgusting maternal mortality, all coinciding with fish population devastation and shortage of essential (amino acids) protein.

Solutions appear feasible. Ocean and fresh water ecosystem rehabilitation could generate new industry and business and employment to stimulate economies worldwide.

Nutrient waste can be harnessed to produce bio fuel even for jet aircraft.

Aquaculture could expand to ocean culture.

Nothing sensible is impossible.

There is truly dire urgent need for solutions.

Fish are supposed to help maintain ecosystem water quality.

Reaching a point of no return should be of critically serious concern.