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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 6, 2016)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016 Tagging point of infection that contributed to orca’s death Whale was found dead off Vancouver Island in March By PHUONG LE Associated Press SEATTLE — A satel- lite-linked tag ired into an endangered Puget Sound orca by federal biologists led to a fungal infection that contrib- uted to the whale’s death, sci- entists said Wednesday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries said a 20-year-old whale found dead off Vancou- ver Island in March was found to have fragments of a dart tag in its dorsal in. The death prompted the agency in April to temporarily halt its tagging program. Five weeks before it was found dead, researchers ired a small satellite-linked trans- mitter into the orca to track where the animals go in the winter and how they ind food. The transmitter is the size of a 9-volt battery and attaches with two titanium darts just over 2 inches long. It’s designed to detach over time and leave nothing behind in the whale. A fungal infection entered the orca’s bloodstream at the spot where it was shot, caus- ing the animal’s death, the nec- ropsy found. The fungus may have been introduced by a con- taminated tag, or was already on whale’s skin and brought deeper by fragments left behind in the animal’s body, the examination found. The tag may have been con- taminated when it fell into the sea and wasn’t properly steril- ized before it was used, possi- bly contributing to introduc- ing the fungi into the wound, the report by a panel of scien- tists said. NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center An orca whale known as L95, right, swims with other whales from the L and K pods in the Pacific Ocean in Feb- ruary near the mouth of the Columbia River near Ilwaco, Wash., days after being fitted with a satellite tag. In April, federal biologists temporarily halted tagging endangered killer whales in Puget Sound after the orca was found dead with fragments of a dart tag lodged in its dorsal fin. AP Photo/Elaine Thompson A satellite-linked transmitter is visible on the dorsal fin of L87, an orca from the southern resident group of killer whales, while swimming in Puget Sound west of Seattle in 2014. ard Merrick told reporters in a telephone call. “There’s always a risk involved when you’re con- ducting research on wild ani- mals. But it’s our job and our obligation to reduce that risks and that’s what we’ll continue to do,” Merrick said. Some advocates have crit- icized the tagging, saying it injures the orcas and there are less invasive ways to mon- itor the small population of whales. There are currently 82 animals. Ken Balcomb, a senior scientist with the Center for Whale Research in Friday Harbor, said he has been rais- ‘Deeply dismayed’ The agency and its scien- tists “are deeply dismayed that one of their tags may have had something to do with the death of this whale,” NOAA Fisheries’ chief scientist Rich- W A NTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A Contact: Steve Axtell • 360-430-0885 or John Anderson • 360-269-2500 United Finnish Kaleva Brothers & Sisters Astoria Lodge #2 you All c eat an ! L AKSLODA ANNUAL LUNCHEON T HURSDAY O CTOBER 13 11:30 AM -2 PM $ 12 Finnish Bake Sale Pulla (Cardamom Bread) Rieska Prune Tarts TH ing concerns for years about the use of the tags, which he called “barbaric and risky.” Several factors may have predisposed the whale to a severe fungal infection, includ- ing not completely sterilizing the device, Merrick said. The tag also hit the whale near sig- niicant blood vessels, and the whale’s health may have been compromised at the time it was tagged in February. “It’s devastating to think this could have happened,” said Brad Hanson, the biolo- gist who heads the orca tag- ging program. He said he was in charge and “completely responsible” for failing to ensure that the tag was prop- erly sterilized. “We’re trying to take stock of the report and comments and igure how best to move forward,” he said. Hanson noted the program has pro- duced a tremendous amount of data about the whales in a rel- atively short amount of time. Suspension will remain But the satellite tagging program will remain sus- pended until the agency has completed its own review. NOAA’s Northwest Fish- COAST COMMUNITY RADIO KMUN 91.9FM is looking for volunteers to host CLASSICAL , JAZZ & BLUES music programs Call 503.325.0010 for more information www.CoastRadio.org eries Science Center in Seattle will also set up an independent panel to review whether sat- ellite tagging of Puget Sound resident orcas should continue. And NOAA’s Ofice of Protected Resources will con- sider additional conditions to reduce injury or infection for all future tagging efforts on whales, dolphins and other cetaceans. The number of southern resident killer whales has luc- tuated in recent decades as they have faced threats from pollution, lack of prey and dis- turbance from boats. NOAA is considering whether to expand habitat pro- tections for the orcas to include offshore areas from Washing- ton state to Northern Califor- nia, and Merrick said the tag- ging program has been crucial to understanding the animal’s habitat. The tag has been used numerous times on whales and other marine mammals, as well as eight Puget Sound orcas. 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