Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Monday 6 august 2018

Biologists consider options to save emaciated orca

By PHUONG LE tion where we’re trying to
Associated Press help the animal but end up
SEATTLE (AP) — Federal hurting it,” he added.
biologists are weighing a Gaydos said helping J50 is
range of emergency op- important because she will
tions to save an emaci- be the future of the popu-
ated endangered orca, lation, but at the same time
including possibly feeding no one is losing sight of
it live salmon at sea dosed broader efforts to help the
with medication. Whale entire population recover.
researchers are worried The orcas face nutritional
about the survival of the stress because of a lack of
4-year-old female orca Chinook salmon, their main
known as J50, a member of diet. They also face threats
the dwindling population from toxic contamination
of southern resident killer and vessel noise and dis-
whales that spends sum- turbances that disrupt their
mer months in the inland ability to communicate
waters of Washington and and forage.
British Columbia. The whales are listed as en-
Another female orca from This September 2015 photo provided by NOAA Fisheries shows a aerial view of adult female dangered in the U.S. and
Southern Resident killer whale (J16) swims with her calf (J50). Federal officials are weighing options
the group of just 75 ani- to save an emaciated endangered orca that includes feeding it live salmon dosed with medicine. Canada. Individual whales
mals, known as J35, has Associated Press are identified by unique
attracted global attention man with National Ocean- to assess her health and division at the Northwest markings or variations in
over the past week as she ic and Atmospheric Admin- figure out what’s wrong. Fisheries Science Center in their fin shapes, and each
has tried to keep her dead istration Fisheries, the agen- Veterinarians hope to get Seattle. He said no decision whale is given a number
calf’s body afloat while cy responsible for protect- out on a boat and visually has been made. and name.
swimming miles. ing marine mammals. “The do a check-up and take a A team of top veterinar- Ford said the orcas are in-
Federal biologists are feeling is it’s quite urgent sample of the white patch ians and whale experts are telligent animals and can
weighing whether and how given the whale’s condi- on the back of her head exploring ways to deliver quickly understand where
to intervene for the young tion.” NOAA Fisheries would that could be a sign of an live fish — and oral medi- their food source is coming
female. The options range still need federal approval infection. “If we come up cation — to the orca and from and that could cre-
from doing nothing to using from another division of the with more evidence that doing so in such way that ate a danger for the ani-
a boat to give the orca sup- agency before it moves she’s suffering from pneu- won’t prompt the orca to mals. “It’s not a good long-
plemental fish to increase ahead with an intervention monia or a fungal infection become accustomed to term solution,” he added.
her hydration and nutrition. plan. Whale experts are fo- or other disease, that might people or boats, said Joe Feeding the animal fish
“Everything is on the table. cused now on collecting be an opportunity to pro- Gaydos, a wildlife veteri- also won’t be easy logis-
We’re working on every breath and fecal samples vide her with medication,” narian and science direc- tically and it would be a
possibility to help,” said and taking aerial drone said Michael Ford, director tor of SeaDoc Society. long shot. “I’m not aware
Michael Milstein, a spokes- photographs of the whale of the conservation biology “We don’t want a situa- of previous efforts to feed
killer whales traveling with
its family in the wild,” Ford
Iceland stops hunting minke whales but only for this season said. The fish-eating whales
swim about 60 miles (97
kilometers) a day, and
LONDON (AP) — One of Jonsson said obeying the needed. The International for killing a rare blue-fin navigating close to them is
Iceland’s top whaling com- new rule would require sail- Fund for Animal Welfare, whale hybrid. Last month, tricky and risky, he said. The
panies says it has stopped ing out further than normal or IFAW, called the devel- genetic testing at Iceland’s orca could be fed salmon
hunting minke whales this to harpoon the whales opment “very good news Marine Research Institute by using an underwater
year, in response to a new and that to do so wasn’t for minke whales and for confirmed the dead whale pipe from a boat so that
government regulation economically viable. He Iceland,” but noted the was indeed a hybrid blue- the animal doesn’t associ-
that enlarged the protect- said his company would country had simply import- fin whale. Blue whales, the ate the boat with food.
ed area for baleen whales. now focus on improving its ed minke whale meat from largest species of whales The black-and-white orca
The temporary halt to whal- boats for next year’s whal- Norway. The temporary in- on the planet, have been has appeared lethargic in
ing comes about a month ing season. terruption to hunting minke protected under interna- recent days but has been
earlier than expected, “For next year, we will have whales comes about a tional law for decades. The eating, defecating and
Gunnar Jonsson, owner of to arrange something,” month after another Ice- trading of blue-fin hybrid swimming with her small
whaling company IP-Utg- he said, adding that they landic whaling company, whales or any of their parts pod of whales, Milstein
erd Ltd said Thursday. might hire more crew if Hvalur HF, was condemned is illegal. q said. J50 is much skinnier
and her body condition
has gotten a lot worse,
said John Durban, who
flew a drone high above
the whale Wednesday to
capture images that help
detect changes in the
orca’s body. He leads the
cetacean health and life
history program at NOAA’s
Southwest Fisheries Sci-
ence Center. q