Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is currently looking into the recent death of a grey whale in British Columbia. The deceased grey whale was discovered on a remote beach in Haida Gwaii on May 24, prompting the DFO marine mammal response team to travel to the site for sample collection and to determine the cause of death. This incident marks the eighth grey whale fatality in British Columbia this year, contributing to a concerning increase in deaths within the population due to apparent starvation.
Paul Cottrell, the DFO marine mammal co-ordinator, disclosed the latest death during a webinar held by the Marine Education and Research Society discussing the challenges faced by grey whales. Cottrell expressed alarm over the rising number of fatalities, suggesting that the actual count might be higher than reported due to the vast coastline and remote areas that are not easily accessible for monitoring.
According to Cottrell, this year’s toll could surpass the previous record set in 2019 when 11 dead grey whales were recorded in British Columbia. In the current year, DFO has responded to four dead whales off the west coast of Vancouver Island within a span of 10 days, with six of them sampled and four undergoing full necropsies.
Researchers have attributed the deaths of grey whales to starvation as they migrate towards their feeding grounds in the north, linking the decline in available prey in the Arctic to the fatalities. The population of grey whales, estimated at just under 13,000, has been facing a decline, with a total of 40 grey whales found dead in British Columbia since 2019. Notably, in 2019, there was a significant surge with 216 grey whale mortalities reported worldwide, leading to the declaration of an unusual mortality event.
John Calambokidis, a research biologist at Cascadia Research Collective, highlighted that Washington state has also witnessed 23 dead grey whales this year, emphasizing that the documented cases represent only a fraction of the actual deaths. The grey whale population in the eastern north Pacific has been classified as a species of special concern by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada and was listed under the federal Species at Risk Act in 2005.
Jackie Hildering from the Marine Education and Research Society is advocating for the classification of all grey whales as endangered species in Canada to ensure their protection. This move is seen as a crucial call to action that could lead to legislative measures, research funding, and educational initiatives for the conservation of grey whales.