Defra ‘aims’ to publish UK Whale Death Data - imminently

• 1000 cetacean deaths were recorded in just one year in the UK, in 2018, but since then the data has been hidden behind the firmly closed doors at Defra, the UK government department for the environment*.
• I’ve been trying to obtain the missing data for some time, since the big upturn in whale, dolphin and porpoise deaths suggested that something is very wrong in the seas around the UK - and I’ve been researching a possible correlation with the expansion of the offshore wind industry.
• After resolutely refusing to share the data, it looks like Defra is finally relenting…..

The story begins in 2018, the most recent year for which data was openly published*, when more than 1000 whales, dolphins and porpoises were washed up dead around the UK’s coast.

Since then, the figures have been hidden from public view, though they are continually compiled by the CSIP (Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme), under the auspices of Defra.

The apparent secrecy surrounding the data has fuelled suspicions that the numbers of dead cetaceans might have increased even more in the intervening years.

Defra states that one of the objectives of the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme is to “make information on stranding and post-mortems results [….] publicly available by annual reports” - but unfortunately these annual reports have failed to materialise for years.

In the meantime, though they told me that they do hold the hidden figures, Defra have until now flatly refused my requests asking them to share the data for the ‘missing’ years*.

2023: Defra double down on decision to withhold information…

When I originally asked Defra to release the information last year, they declined, evoking an exception under the environmental information regulations, stating that, at the time of my requests, the material was still in the course of completion. Because of this, an exception under regulation 12(4)(d) was engaged. I appealed their decision and they conducted an internal review, which resulted in them doubling down on their resolve to withhold the data.

That’s when I asked the ICO to look into the matter…

The Information Commissioner’s Office, or the ICO, is the UK’s independent body set up to uphold information rights. They took the case on, but after conducting their investigation, they told me that “the Commissioner has concluded that, on balance, the public interest lies in maintaining the exception.” That was disappointing. It seems that they upheld Defra’s decision to conceal the data from public view primarily because it was still in its ‘raw’ form - and significantly they also pointed out that Defra is planning to publish the completed reports - imminently (more on this in a moment).

Accountability and transparency within the government…

In the ICO report, Defra says that they took into account the fact that disclosing this information would “demonstrate accountability and transparency within the government” but qualified this by saying that “Defra considers that disclosing datasets in their raw state would give a misleading or inaccurate impression that would likely result in incorrect conclusions, drawn out of context”. They agree that “the stranding of cetaceans is a highly emotive issue and often attracts a lot of media and public attention”, but then go on to say, “if cetacean strandings data is interpreted incorrectly and misleading conclusions are drawn, then it is likely to generate a large volume of queries from the public.”

“Disproportionate effort required to address these queries”

Defra said they were concerned that the “disproportionate effort required to address these queries would hinder efforts and divert resources away from completing the reports [….] as well as from delivering urgent, time critical responses to stranding events.”

It’s noteworthy that Defra’s concern over ‘incorrect conclusions being drawn out of context’ doesn’t seem to be an issue for some other countries, whose basic data is updated regularly and openly and is freely available to the public.

But Defra maintain that “disclosing datasets comprising raw data which has yet to be analysed would prejudice the quality of the information.” They said that “the raw data is collected solely for the purpose of preparing and publishing the annual stranding reports” - which as we know have not been published for a number of years now…

April 2024 - Success: Defra now ‘aims’ to publish the information imminently…

Now, in an interesting ‘plot twist’, Defra told the ICO that they now ‘aim’ to publish the 2020 report as early as this month (April) and the 2021/2022 figures very soon.

The ICO report states “Defra aims to publish the annual report for 2020 in April 2024 and the annual reports for 2021 and 2022 in May/June 2024. Each annual report will compare the data output from the previous four-year period to establish whether there have been any significant changes in stranding numbers or likely causes of death.”

That’s great - although it is actually what the are supposed to do every year anyway….. however Defra’s careful use of language implies that the publication date remains an ‘aim’.

It doesn’t sound like a promise. But it’s what they told the ICO, so it’s on record. Let’s see if and when it happens….

Once we have the data, all that remains to be seen is what it tells us. I expect that the number of dead whales, dolphins and porpoises has continued to be unusually high since 2018, and if that’s the case then there will doubtless be significant public debate surrounding the reasons for the massive increase in cetacean deaths. This debate must include (amongst other factors) the potential role of the offshore wind industry in detrimentally affecting the marine environment and the damage that offshore wind turbines might cause to delicate marine ecosystems.

Watch this space….

* Update: 29/4/2024: The annual report for 2019 has now been published: During 2019, 980 cetaceans were reported to the UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP), comprising at least 18 species.
872 were found stranded and dead, 58 were stranded alive (21 were refloated) and 50 were dead cetaceans found at sea (just four of which were reported entangled in fishing gear).
Any further updates will be noted here or in a separate article. We await the reports for 2020, 2021 and 2022…..

Photo by Levi Meir Clancy on Unsplash
(note: my freedom of information request, referred to in the above article, was specifically for the years 20/21/22)

N.B. I have no agenda other than a genuine love for this amazing planet.

I am not paid by anyone to write this.

I’m not a ‘shill’ for the nuclear industry, nor the fishing industry, nor any government or political party.

I’m an independent citizen of this incredible planet, with a strong desire to leave a world as wonderful for future generations as it has been for me.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organisation, employer or company.

All information is provided on an as-is basis. It is the reader’s responsibility to verify their own facts.