DNA analysed
An analysis of the whale’s DNA by marine scientists from the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre determined she was not one of eight orca calves born in 2015 to the three southern resident pods that live year-round in B.C. and Washington State waters.
Comparing her DNA to that of other whales from Alaska taken in the past identified her as from Alaskan waters.
The tissue samples tested were provided by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) in Canada; the DFO said a necropsy was also done to determine the cause of the death but the results are not yet back.
Dangers to whales
Marine biologist Carla Crossman said in an Aquarium press release Monday that keeping track of whales is of great import. Doing so enables biologists to take steps toward helping their survival. Much of what needs to be done, she noted, is to keep the ocean healthy.
“Tracking the number of births and deaths in each population is key to monitoring the health of these killer whales; in order to do this, you need to know where the whale came from,” Crossman said. “They’re iconic on our coast, but they’re also considered a sentinel species. Knowing how they’re doing tells us a lot about general ocean health.”
The Biggs killer whales, also known as orcas, in the Alaska area are facing more hardships than the southern resident pods in part due to ingesting more contaminants.
The Aquarium’s press release noted that whales face many life-threatening dangers, including “biological pollutants, trace metals, physical disturbance, toxic spills, collisions with vessels, interactions with fisheries and decreased prey availability.”
Orca calves have less than a 50 percent chance of surviving their first year.
