Roughly 500 dead sea lions have been found on Anconcillo beach in Santa province, in the Ancash region of Peru, around 250 miles north of Lima.
The governor of Samanco district crafted a letter to local police authorities, claiming the deaths were caused by fishermen in search of shellfish. The sea lions often travel near the shore in search of prey, notably scallops as well as other marine life.
Local city workers hauled away the hundreds of bodies, after the sea lion corpses were deemed to present a public health hazard. Many of the remains were rotting, presenting a significant challenge in the drive to determine a cause of death.
In May 2012, hundreds of dead dolphins washed up on beaches of Peru, which government officials concluded were caused from natural causes. In early November 2014, corpses of 187 sea lions were found on another beach in Peru, north of the latest find. The earlier incident also involved four dolphins, as well as several pelicans and sea turtles. The results of an investigation into the earlier deaths have not yet been announced. Possible causes of deaths include a virus or bacteria, ingestion of human-made garbage, hunting, or becoming tangled in fishing nets.
Some environmental groups are charging that the underlying cause of these events are blasts set off by petroleum companies, searching for oil deposits. The Peruvian government determined that oil exploration did not play a role in the marine deaths.
In spring 2014, a record number of marine deaths were recorded in California and other western states. This unexpected wave of deaths took wildlife officials by surprise. Many baby animals were found stranded after their mothers perished.
"We thought it was going to be a nice calm year; in the last month it's just spiked. The rescues just keep coming in at a steady pace," Melissa Sciacca, director of development for the Pacific Marine Mammal Center said.
A large number of deaths in California were recorded in 2009, 2013 and this year, filling the mammal center to capacity each time. Researchers believe a bloom of algae in Monterey Bay could have played a role, enhancing normal losses of mothers, and the appearance of orphan animals on area beaches.
Environmentalists in California and Peru hope that record deaths of marine animals are not a sign of conditions to come.
"Is it related to human activity along the coastline? Is that what's causing the numbers, or is it something of a natural source?" David Bard of the Marine Mammal Center, told the press.
