Feds not planning study of endangered blue whale found dead in Cape Breton

The federal Fisheries Department says it won't order a necropsy of the carcass of a young blue whale off Cape Breton, drawing concern from a scientist who had hoped to learn the cause of death.

The body of the blue whale, an endangered species, was spotted last week at Sutherland's Cove, about six kilometres north of Port Hawkesbury, N.S., and was confirmed by the Marine Animal Response Society to be a juvenile.

Veterinarians and government scientists have examined endangered North Atlantic right whales found dead this summer, linking some deaths to ship strikes. However, Fisheries and Oceans Canada said in a release Wednesday a necropsy cannot be conducted on the blue whale because of its location.

Department spokesman Steve Hachey said in an email that the state of the carcass contributed to the decision not to study its cause of death.

"The whale is located in a very inaccessible location not reachable by vehicle. The animal would have needed to be towed roughly 80 kilometres away," he said.

"Concerns about the safety of all involved, forecasted poor weather and sea conditions, the feasibility of towing the animal, as well as the decomposed state of the carcass, led to the decision."

Elizabeth Zwamborn, a post-doctoral marine biology student who studies pilot whales in Cape Breton, said in an interview that reaching the blue whale required a one-hour walk, some of it over difficult terrain.

She said she agrees with the federal Fisheries Department assessment that doing a necropsy at the site would have been extremely difficult and unsafe. However, Zwamborn said the body was relatively fresh when she saw it on Sept. 18.

The scientist said she does not have the expertise to say whether it would have been possible for a boat to tow the animal in the early days after its discovery. But she believes a necropsy would have been very valuable.

"I think that probably if there would had been a faster, easier system to arrange a necropsy ... moving it would have been the best option," she said. "I think a lot of people are a little disappointed things couldn't come together for a necropsy."

In an email sent late Wednesday night, a spokesman for the federal Fisheries Department said, "Earlier towing was not possible due to the remote location of the carcass, poor weather conditions, safety concerns and the lack of vehicle with adequate towing capacity in the vicinity."

Zwamborn, who is also a volunteer for the Marine Animal Response Society, said the society was planning to collect tissue samples for analysis. She said the samples could provide some indication of what occurred, but confirming ship strikes sometimes require a look at the whales' bones.

Richard Sears, a scientist with the Mingan Island Cetacean Study who is based in St-Lambert, Que., said in an interview Tuesday it’s important to know what killed the whale.

The biologist, who has studied blue whales for 41 years, says the species has faced risks from ship strikes and fishing gear entanglements in the gulf. In addition, there is evidence that underwater acoustic noise and toxic pollutants are harming the blue whale population.

Blue whales are the largest creatures on Earth and have a potential lifespan of 70 to 80 years. There has been a federal recovery plan for the whales off Canada's east coast for over 17 years, and federal scientists estimate there are no more than 250 in the population.

Sears says he believes speed restrictions for vessels should be in place for shipping throughout the gulf, rather than in certain sectors.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 25, 2019.