The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is trying to determine what killed an orca found dead in the waters of Trail Bay.
Paul Cottrell, DFO’s pacific marine mammal coordinator, said they got the call about a dead whale adrift around sunset on Dec. 20, but they couldn’t locate it before darkness fell.
“We had many teams out [Wednesday] morning looking for the animal out there… We had three boats – a Sechelt First Nation vessel, a Coast Guard vessel from French Creek, and a Fisheries Officer vessel down from Powell River,” he said. “It was a passing tug that spotted the animal floating, and we were able to get out and secure the animal.”
The orca carcass was towed onto the beach at Selma Park Wednesday for a necropsy, and Cottrell said it could be some time before they narrow down a cause of death. A team from Vancouver Aquarium’s marine mammal research program will be assisting.
Cottrell told Coast Reporter that what they know about the whale so far is that it was an 18-year-old male, six metres long (22 ft), and a member of the southern resident orca population known as J-34, or DoubleStuf.
“It’s really unfortunate – that’s an endangered population. We know the animal… We know its lineage. It’s really sad and we want to know what happened.”
The southern resident orcas are closely studied and followed by wildlife enthusiasts. J-34 even has a Facebook page.
John Louis, a volunteer from the shíshálh Nation who was helping keep people at a distance and lending a hand managing the carcass, said it was a surprise and saddening to learn of the discovery.
“It’s unfortunate, it’s upsetting to see,” said Tina Kaizer, who was one of a dozen or so people who stopped by the boat launch at Selma Park Wednesday afternoon.
Another bystander, Aspen Wing, had mixed feelings. “It’s obviously tragic that we’ve lost something like this, but what an opportunity to actually see it, and experience this.”
Cottrell said the shíshálh Nation has expressed an interest in preserving the skeleton, which he described as “a perfect use.”
UPDATE:
After an initial examination of the whale carcass, DFO reported the orca appears to have suffered from "blunt trauma to the dorsal side, and a hematoma."
"A CAT scan will be conducted on the skull to determine if there are any fractures. Additional information from tissue and blood analysis can take two to eight weeks," a release from DFO stated.
"DFO is investigating what may have caused the blunt trauma to the animal. Anyone with information please call our Observe Record Report line at 1-800-465-4336."
