A total of 161 marine mammals were reported dead after washing ashore along Indian coasts during 2024-25, according to a study by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) presented at an international marine symposium in Kochi.
Goa recorded the highest number of strandings, with 113 marine mammals, while Kerala reported 13 and ranked second among the states listed in the study. Dolphins accounted for the largest share of reported deaths, with 82 cases.
The study identified coastal areas where whales, dolphins and other marine mammals are more frequently found washed ashore. CMFRI said the objective is to strengthen conservation measures in these locations. The findings are based on information collected along the coast by experts from the institute’s regional centres and trained volunteers.
The institute has also developed an interactive platform designed to provide real-time information on marine mammal strandings across different states. The platform contains about 1,300 geospatial data points associated with 32 marine mammal species. Users can analyse the location of a stranding, the species involved, the time of the incident and the reported cause of death through the system.
The platform is intended to bring together information that is otherwise collected from multiple coastal locations and institutions. Such location-based records can help identify recurring stranding areas and support more targeted conservation and response measures, although the study report, as described in the source, does not establish a single cause for the deaths recorded during the period.
The research was completed under the leadership of senior scientist Dr Ratheesh Kumar Ravindran. The reported figures cover marine mammals found dead along Indian shores during the 2024-25 period and do not represent a wider estimate of marine mammal mortality at sea.
The findings were presented at a three-day international marine symposium being held in Kochi. The event is being organised jointly by the Trevor Platform Science Foundation, the Department of Chemical Oceanography at Cochin University of Science and Technology, CMFRI and the Marine Biological Association of India.
The symposium is scheduled to conclude on Friday. The closing session will be inaugurated by Dr Srinivasa Kumar Tummala, secretary in the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, according to the report.
