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Environmental DNA Sampling from Whale-Watching Vessels for Cetacean Monitoring

Environmental DNA Sampling from Whale-Watching Vessels for Cetacean Monitoring

Published on: April 10, 2026

Pathology: whales, sonar and decompression sickness.

Claude A Piantadosi¹, Edward D Thalmann

¹Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Environmental Physiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA. piant001@mc.duke.edu

|April 17, 2004

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The cause of whale strandings after sonar use remains unknown. While some suggest decompression sickness (DCS), evidence for naturally occurring DCS with specific liver conditions in whales is lacking, requiring more research to link sonar to bubble formation.

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Image Rendering Techniques in Postmortem Computed Tomography: Evaluation of Biological Health and Profile in Stranded Cetaceans

Published on: September 27, 2020

Area of Science:

Marine Biology
Bioacoustics
Veterinary Science

Background:

Whale strandings after naval sonar deployment are poorly understood, impacting marine mammal conservation and naval operations.
A proposed theory suggests a link between mid-range sonar and a gas-forming disease in stranded cetaceans, potentially a form of decompression sickness (DCS).

Discussion:

The proposed theory of sonar-induced DCS in whales faces challenges, as neither established decompression principles nor observations support naturally occurring DCS with encapsulated gas-filled liver cavities.
Acoustic energy may exacerbate pre-existing conditions leading to gas bubble formation, but a direct causal link to sonar requires further investigation.

Key Insights:

The existence of a naturally occurring DCS in whales, specifically with encapsulated gas-filled liver cavities, is not supported by current scientific understanding.
While sonar's acoustic energy might worsen gas bubble formation, a definitive causal relationship between sonar deployment and bubble formation in whales has not been established.

Outlook:

Further research is crucial to elucidate the mechanisms behind sonar-related whale strandings and gas bubble formation.
Establishing a clear link between sonar and whale physiological responses necessitates rigorous investigation beyond current hypotheses.