Dear Colleagues,
My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the publication entitled Bowhead
Whale Mortality Event in Nunavut Canada, Autumn 2020 published in IWC’s Journal
of Cetacean Management and Research - Open Access.
https://journal.iwc.int/index.php/jcrm/article/view/1069/772
Abstract:
Cetacean mortality events in the Arctic often go underreported compared with
events in more highly populated regions. Here, we report a mortality event
involving the death of 11 bowhead whales around the Gulf of Boothia, Canada.
The whales were discovered between October 2020–April 2021. Reports of 11 dead
bowhead whales within six months in one area raised concerns among local
hunters and community members. Due to the remoteness of these strandings and
challenges with access, complete necropsies were not performed, but local Inuit
collected tissue samples from eight of the whales. Possible reasons for these
deaths include unusual weather events, nutritional stress/starvation, metabolic
abnormalities, infectious disease, anthropogenic impacts (such as vessel
collisions) and killer whale predation. To determine the most likely cause of
these strandings, demographic, temporal, environmental, epidemiological,
pathologic and contaminant analyses were performed. Results were compared with
published accounts and historical data where appropriate. Killer whale
sightings by local Inuit both before and during the stranding events confirmed
the presence of these predators in close proximity to the carcass locations,
with predation marks observed in several carcasses. We conclude that this was
the most probable direct contributing factor to the mortality event. Indirect
contributing factors might also include reduced ice coverage as a result of
climate change and nutritional stress. Further monitoring of this population is
required to assess health from both a scientific and an Indigenous perspective.
Please contact ashley.barratclo...@nmmf.org with any questions,
Thank you!
Ashley Barratclough
BVetMed, MSc WAH, MS, PhD, MRCVS
Conservation Medicine Veterinarian
National Marine Mammal Foundation
2240 Shelter Island Drive,
San Diego, CA

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