Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Tuesday 4 June 2019
Feds to investigate spike in gray whale deaths on West Coast

By GENE JOHNSON off followed strong chang-
Associated Press es in ocean conditions in
SEATTLE (AP) — U.S. scien- the mid-1990s, suggesting
tists said Friday they will in- that warmer water patterns
vestigate why an unusual affected the availability of
number of gray whales are prey, but scientists were of-
washing up dead on West ten unable to perform nec-
Coast beaches. ropsies, Moore said.
About 70 whales have "It's sometimes very difficult
been found dead so far this to get to these whales in
year on the coasts of Cali- a timely fashion," she said.
fornia, Oregon, Washing- "You can't always get the
ton and Alaska, the most kind of samples you would
since 2000. About five more need for diagnostic rea-
have been discovered on sons."
British Columbia beaches. Since then, researchers
That's a very small frac- have built up an improved
tion of the total number of network of volunteers and
whales believed to have have better educated the
died, because most simply public to help report and
sink and others wash up in respond to whale deaths,
such remote areas they're said Deborah Fauquier,
not recorded. In this May 6, 2019 file photo, Duat Mai stands atop a dead whale at Ocean Beach in San Fran- veterinary medical officer
NOAA Fisheries on Friday cisco. at NOAA's Office of Pro-
declared the die-off an Associated Press tected Resources. This time
"unusual mortality event," around, scientists have
providing additional re- est since surveys began in live in sediment on the that feed the amphipods. been able to perform nec-
sources to respond to the 1967. That has raised ques- ocean floor in the Arctic. Surveys show the amphi- ropsies on 20 of the whales,
deaths and triggering the tions about whether their For many years, research- pod beds moving farther she said.
investigation. population has reached ers noted that fewer calves north, said Sue Moore, a John Calambokidis, a re-
"Many of the whales have the limit of what the envi- tended to be born follow- biological oceanographer search biologist with the
been skinny and malnour- ronment can sustain. An- ing years when the ice in at the University of Wash- Cascadia Research Col-
ished, and that suggests other theory suggests that the Chukchi Sea, north of ington. lective, noted that as the
they may not have gotten the loss of Arctic sea ice the Bering Strait between "The sea ice has been whales search farther
enough to eat during their due to global warming is a Alaska and Russia, was late changing very quickly over afield for food, they've en-
last feeding season in the culprit. to melt. The whales had less the last decade or so," she tered areas where they're
Arctic," agency spokes- The whales spend their time to feast because they said. "The whales may have not normally seen so often,
man Michael Milstein told summers feeding in the couldn't access the feed- to shift to other prey, such including San Francisco
reporters during a confer- Arctic before migrating ing area, and thus had less as krill or other things they Bay and Puget Sound. That
ence call. 10,000 miles (16,000 km) to blubber to sustain them on eat." puts them at higher risk of
The eastern North Pacific winter off Mexico. Though their next migration. In an average year, about being struck by ships or en-
gray whales were removed they eat all along their Last year, though, the Artic 35 whales wash up in the tangled in fishing gear.
from the endangered spe- route, they are typically was unusually warm. The U.S. Four of the 10 gray whales
cies list in 1994, after recov- thinning by the time they whales weren't blocked In 2000, more than 100 did, found dead near San Fran-
ering from the whaling era. return north along the West from the feeding area, prompting NOAA to de- cisco this year were struck
The population has grown Coast each spring. and yet are still struggling clare an "unusual mortality by ships, and a number of
significantly in the last de- They eat many things, but this year. That has scientists event" then as well. The re- shipping companies have
cade and is now estimat- especially amphipods, tiny wondering if the loss of sea sulting investigation failed slowed their vessels in the
ed at 27,000 — the high- shrimp-like creatures that ice has led to a loss of algae to identify a cause. The die- area to avoid collisions.q

Texas coastal flooding strands about

100 endangered turtles

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) water pushed up against may have about a half-
In this May 24, 2019 photo, provided by the Texas State Aquar- — High tides and flooding the dunes on Padre Island dozen young turtles wash
ium, a sea turtle is seen during rescue and rehabilitation at the associated with May storms National Seashore, Gilbert ashore each month. More
Texas State Aquarium Wildlife Rescue Center in Corpus Christi, that buffeted parts of Texas said. than 100 green sea turtles
Texas.
Associated Press caused the stranding of Wildlife officials helped were rescued during two
about 100 young sea tur- gather and transport the weeks starting in mid-May,
tles along part of the Gulf green sea turtles, with the Gilbert said.
coast, experts say. largest about the size of a About 80 of the rested tur-
Jesse Gilbert, Chief Oper- dinner plate, to the aquari- tles were released into the
ating Officer of the Texas um, he said. Gulf of Mexico last Thurs-
State Aquarium in Corpus "They literally just looked ex- day. Most of the rest should
Christi, said Monday that hausted. They were a little be returned to the water
the juvenile green sea tur- bit dehydrated," said Gil- this week, he said.
tles "just couldn't beat the bert, describing the endan- The National Weather Ser-
waves" and were tossed gered turtles. vice on May 12 began issu-
around along the shore. During normal spring ing about 11 days of coast-
The turtles were caught in weather the wildlife center al flooding advisories. q