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An investigation is under way into the deaths of four Cuvier’s beaked whales found stranded along the coasts of the Region of Murcia and Almería on January 23, 2026. The animals were located at different points in Mazarrón, Águilas and Almería within a short timeframe.

 

The Ministry for Ecological Transition mobilised a specialist team from the University Institute of Animal Health at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, which focuses on cetacean pathology. The team worked alongside veterinarians and biologists from the El Valle Wildlife Recovery Centre in Murcia, the Andalusian organisation Sea Shore and the state-owned company Tragsatec.

 

Necropsies were carried out on the animals, with samples taken from major organs for laboratory analysis. The objective was to determine whether the deaths were due to natural causes, particularly infectious diseases, or linked to recognised human-related factors associated with mass strandings.

 

According to the researchers, infectious causes have now been ruled out, and reports will be submitted to the authorities in the coming weeks.

 

 

The scientists classify the event as an ‘atypical mass stranding’, as several individuals of the same species appeared over a short period and across a defined geographic area. While naval activity from boats is one of the possibilities being examined, the research team has stated that other potential causes are also under consideration and that conclusions will only be drawn once all data have been reviewed.

Environmental organisations, including the Asociación de Naturalistas del Sureste (ANSE) and Ecologists in Action, have provided information on military vessel movements in waters off Mazarrón in the hours before the strandings.

 

The area is designated as a Special Area of Conservation due to features such as underwater canyons, although it has also been used for authorised naval manoeuvres for decades.

 

Previous scientific research has linked some mass strandings of Cuvier’s beaked whales to naval exercises involving sonar. Studies suggest that exposure to intense underwater noise can trigger stress responses and rapid changes in diving behaviour, potentially leading to injuries similar to acute decompression syndrome. These injuries have been documented in organs such as the brain, lungs, liver and kidneys.

 

Earlier cases in the Canary Islands led to restrictions on certain naval activities after a clear temporal and spatial link was established between exercises and strandings. Researchers involved in the current investigation say comparable evidence would be required before drawing similar conclusions for the Mediterranean event.

 

Image 1: CARM

Image 2: ANSE