Endangered species: whale found dead on Zikim Beach
Mediterranean sperm whales are endangered, with only 250–2,500 estimated remaining, and face threats from driftnets, plastic pollution, and seismic surveys.
A sperm whale carcass washed ashore Tuesday morning at Zikim Beach, south of Ashkelon, within the Yam Shikma Marine Nature Reserve.
The species is considered endangered in the Mediterranean Sea. Scientists from the Marine Research Laboratory at the University of Haifa are conducting a necropsy to determine the cause of death.
Evyatar Ben Avi, a ranger with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority who first received the report, described the whale as a large specimen. “When I arrived, I saw a giant fin, and the whale was not moving,” he said.
The Delphis Association, an organization dedicated to the protection of marine mammals, noted that the Mediterranean sperm whale population was classified as endangered by the IUCN in 2021, though globally the species is considered vulnerable. Current estimates suggest the Mediterranean population numbers between 250 and 2,500 individuals and is declining.
Dr. Maya Elasar of the Delphis Association said this is the eighth sperm whale recorded on Israeli shores since research began in the region. She added that sightings of live sperm whales at sea have increased since 2020, which corresponds with a rise in the number of deceased whales washing ashore.
Dr. Aviad Scheinin, Director of the Dolphin and the Sea Center at Delphis and Head of the Apex Predator Division at the Morris Kahn Marine Research Station at the University of Haifa, explained that Mediterranean sperm whales are genetically distinct and isolated from their Atlantic counterparts. “They even have their own unique dialect—a specific sequence of clicks found only in this population,” he said.
Dr. Scheinin noted that the primary threats to these whales include driftnets, which target swordfish and tuna but unintentionally trap whales and sharks. “Further harm comes from seismic surveys for gas and oil exploration, which can damage their hearing or drive them away from food sources. Plastic pollution also poses a serious threat to deep-diving species like the sperm whale,” he added.