‘We’re really concerned’: Four gray whales found dead off the coast of B.C. in 10 days | CBC News

Researchers are concerned about a recent spike in gray whale deaths off the coast of British Columbia.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has responded to the deaths of four whales in a 10-day period off the west coast of Vancouver Island.

DFO Marine Mammal Coordinator Paul Cottrell said three necropsies were conducted in collaboration with the Huay’a’at, Cuquot/Chekresaht, and Woosani First Nations.

“They’re both extremely emaciated. They’re basically bags of bones. It’s really sad to see them in that condition,” Cottrell said.

On April 8, a dead gray whale was found near Berkeley Bay, and on April 9, a second gray whale carcass was found near Cuquot. The next day, another gray whale was found floating in Berkeley Bay. A fourth gray whale was discovered off the coast of Sydney on April 17.

“These are some of the worst animals I’ve ever seen,” Cottrell said.

A total of five gray whales have been found dead in B.C. waters this year, and researchers believe the cause of death is a dramatic decline in prey available in their Arctic feeding grounds.

“Last year was not a very good feeding year for gray whales in the Bering Sea and Chukchi Sea,” Cottrell said.

John Kalambokidis, a research biologist with the Cascadia Research Collective, said 13 gray whale carcasses have been discovered off the coast of Washington state this year.

Mr Kalambokidis said whale carcasses were being discovered at an “alarming rate”.

The Marine Mammal Center and the California Academy of Sciences have confirmed eight gray whale deaths in the San Francisco Bay Area so far this year.

“We’re really concerned about where this situation is going because they’ve never come this early and at this pace,” Kalambokidis said.

Gray whales primarily feed on benthic amphipods, small crustaceans found in the bottom sediments.

“Although there is a record that populations of these benthic amphipods are declining, it’s all complicated by the fact that the most dramatic change in the Arctic ecosystem is the ongoing general loss of ice,” Karambokidis said.

Declining gray whale population is ‘worrying’, researchers say

The gray whale population is in decline, estimated at just under 13,000 individuals.

“This was less than half of what it was 10 years ago, so a decline of more than 50% in 10 years is alarming,” Karambokidis said.

Back in 2019, there was a significant spike in the number of gray whale carcasses discovered, with 216 dead.

“This has been declared an event of extraordinary mortality. In fact, we have declared that it will end in 2023,” Karambokidis said.

Cottrell said this year could surpass B.C.’s worst year in 2019, when 11 gray whale carcasses were discovered.

“This could be an even worse year than the worst year ever,” Cottrell said.

There are also concerns about calf production rates, he said, as the females are not healthy enough to give birth to babies.

”[It’s] Calf production is at its lowest in recent history, which doesn’t bode well,” Cottrell said.

Last year, 158 gray whales were found dead, four of them in Canadian waters.

Both Cottrell and Kalambokidis expect the death toll to continue to rise as the whale migration continues into June.

“We are only a small part of it,” Karambokidis said.

Further research required

Wendy Zanislaw, a DFO marine mammal technician on Vancouver Island, spotted a pod of gray whales off the coast of Berkeley Bay on April 17.

“Almost two-thirds of them looked very thin,” Shanislaw said. “My shoulder blade or shoulder blade was sticking out.”

She thinks more research could help residents because “very little is known about gray whales in British Columbia.”

“If we don’t know what types of prey are important to them and what habitats are important to them, it’s going to be very difficult to conserve them,” Shanislaw said.

She encourages anyone on the water to give gray whales plenty of space and to report any dying whales to DFO immediately.

Cottrell said an autopsy is important to find out exactly what’s going on and rule out pathogens.

“When you have this migratory species that travels long distances and feeds on small creatures, it’s important to be very careful. It could be a real sign of things to come,” Cottrell said.