The mass stranding of 100 melon-headed whales in northwest Madagascar in 2008 was triggered by the noise of high-frequency sonar mapping, a scientific review has concluded.
Researchers found that a multi-beam echo sounder system operated by a survey vessel contracted by ExxonMobil Exploration the day before the disaster steered the whales into a lagoon system.
The study has implications for the use of multi beam sonar systems, which are commonly used by vessels working in military, research and hydrocarbon industries.
Read more at International Whaling Commission