The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has seen a higher than average number of humpback whale deaths off the coast of Haida Gwaii since October which could be due to a healthy population.
Since the beginning of October, the DFO has investigated four humpback whale carcasses that have washed onto the shores of Haida Gwaii. Two of those whales were shown to have died from blunt force trauma, possibly due to collision with a vessel. The other two do not yet have a determined cause of death, as the DFO is still awaiting the results from their necropsies.
Marine Mammal Coordinator for the DFO Paul Cottrell explained that they often see an average of 5 to 10 humpback deaths a year, but it is unusual to see so many in one month.
Cottrell also explained that there could also be a fifth death, as there was a whale seen floating in Prince Rupert, though they were unable to identify if it was one of the humpbacks that washed up on the island.
While considering the possible explanations for the increase, Cottrell explained that the death rate could be coinciding with a boost in the humpback whale population in the area.
Over the past 10 years, there has been an uptick in humpback numbers in the islands’ in-shore waters. Cottrell says that this could be due to a bigger krill population, or indicative of a healthy ecosystem.
As a result of a greater population, Cottrell said that there has also been more interaction between the whales and different fishing gear, leading to entanglements, or vessel collisions.
According to Cottrell, investigating these humpback deaths could help the DFO figure out management techniques whether or not the deaths are caused by humans. The DFO urges the public to call their Marine Mammal Incident hotline at 1-800-465-4336 to report any beached carcasses or collisions with vessels.
Listen to the CFNR story with Paul Cottrell below:
