WITNESS A GROUNDING?
The Réseau Réseau des Gardiens de l'Océan (RGO) was set up in 2017 by the Direction de l'ENvironnement (DIREN) to manage strandings occurring on Polynesian territory. This initiative enables rapid and effective intervention with the aim of ensuring the safety of the local population and protected species.
The RGO brings together trained volunteer referents who are able to intervene on each of the archipelagos.
THE PROCEDURE TO FOLLOW, WHETHER THE ANIMAL IS ALIVE OR DEAD (EVEN DECOMPOSED)
Don't touch anything!
To avoid any risk of disease transmission, do not handle the animal.
Prevent GERD
Keep your distance and report the location, species, size and condition.
Contact RGO :
+689 89 57 14 30
GERD intervention
An authorized representative will visit the site as soon as possible to examine the animal.
Evacuation
-
the carcass (at sea, squaring, burial)
-
live animals (release, care center, euthanasia)
WHAT IS GROUNDING?
A stranding is defined as an animal lying on the shore, dead or alive but unable to return to its natural habitat.
THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF GROUNDINGS
Individual grounding
Isolated stranding, refers to a single individual stranded independently of other individuals of its species or group. They can be observed throughout the year. They are the most common in Polynesia.
Multiple
grounding
Stranding of individuals, which may belong to several species, found dead over a short period of time (a few days to a few weeks) and localized in a restricted geographical area. The cause of death is usually the same.
Mass
grounding
Simultaneous stranding of several live cetaceans, two or more and not including the mother/juvenile pair, belonging to the same species and social unit. It sometimes involves more than a hundred individuals. This type of stranding is the most rarely observed.
WHAT CAUSES GROUNDINGS?
There are many causes of strandings.
For live animals, the causes are mainly natural (young animals separated from their mothers, senescence, pathology, accidents linked to topography and tides).
In the case of dead animals, these are usually animals that have died at sea and drifted towards the shore, sometimes for several days or even weeks. Causes of mortality can be :
NATURAL CAUSES
Vulnerability
(young, old and pregnant females)
Viral, bacterial or parasitic pathologies
Predation
Competition between different species or individuals of the same species
ANTHROPOGENIC CAUSES
Accidental capture by fishing gear
Resource availability (fewer prey due to overfishing)
Collision with ship
Noise, plastic and chemical pollution
ENVIRONMENTAL CAUSES
Global climate change
Variations in oceanographic conditions (El Niño)
Algal toxins
Geomagnetic disturbances
Underwater earthquakes