Another dead grey whale has washed ashore in Haida Gwaii, bringing the number of grey whales found dead in B.C. waters this year to 11, tying the highest annual total ever recorded in the province. The latest whale is the third reported in Haida Gwaii this year. Fisheries and Oceans Canada researchers travelled to the region to conduct a necropsy, working alongside Haida Guardians and local fisheries officers to learn more about what may have caused the animal’s death. But researchers say the whales being found along the coast likely represent only a fraction of the true mortality. “We’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg,” said Paul Cottrell, marine mammal co-ordinator with Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Marine Mammal Response Program. Cottrell said most grey whales that die offshore never make it to shore. “If they’re in deep water when the animals die, they’re negatively buoyant,” he said. “They actually sink to the bottom and never refloat.” The whales examined so far have shown a concerning pattern: many are in poor body condition. “The consistent thing that we’re finding is the majority of these animals are very skinny,” Cottrell said. “Their blubber has very little lipid and is quite watery.” Scientists believe the whales may be struggling to find enough food during their summer feeding season in the Bering and Chukchi seas off Alaska. Grey whales make one of the longest migrations of any mammal, travelling thousands of kilometres between breeding grounds in Mexico and feeding areas farther north. Researchers in Canada, the United States and Mexico are working together to understand what is driving the ongoing mortality event and how it may affect the population. The eastern North Pacific grey whale population was estimated at about 28,000 animals in 2016, but repeated die-offs beginning in 2019 have raised concerns about a decline. In Canada, grey whales are currently listed as a species of special concern under the Species at Risk Act. Cottrell said reports from the public remain an important part of the response effort. “The fresher these animals are when we can get out and conduct necropsies, the more information we can learn from them,” he said. Anyone who spots a dead, injured or entangled marine mammal along B.C.’s coast is asked to contact the B.C. Marine Mammal Response Network at 1-800-465-4336. With many carcasses never reaching shore, researchers say the whales being found along B.C.’s coast may only reveal part of a much larger story unfolding beneath the Pacific’s surface.
