Alarming cause of death for fin whale in Prince Rupert Harbour

Radha Agarwal, Local Journalism Initiative

A necropsy on a 65-foot deceased fin whale found in Prince Rupert Harbour determined blunt force trauma could have been the reason for its death.

Blunt-force trauma is typically a physical trauma caused by a forceful impact on the body, such as a ship propeller.

The fin or finback whale is the second-largest species of whale in the world by size, after the blue whale. It is also one of the fastest whales, reaching up to 40 km/hr, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).

On Aug. 29, DFO Conservation & Protection Fishery Officers, with assistance from the Prince Rupert Harbour Authority and the Lax Kw’alaams First Nation, located and secured the dead whale at the port.

The Lax Kw’alaams First Nation conducted a ceremony to bless the animal before its necropsy on Sept. 2. The following procedure was led by veterinary pathologist Dr. Stephen Raverty to discover the possible cause of death.

Fin whales are listed as “vulnerable” in British Columbia, with their populations slowly recovering from the impacts of commercial whaling, but they continue to face significant threats such as ship strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, and ocean noise. Photo: Trent Davis

While there was evidence of blunt force trauma, they will also perform a tissue analysis to try to secure more specific answers. Results can take up to 8-10 weeks.

According to DFO, fin whales are now mostly found in the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans.

In the past, they were quite commonly seen in Canadian Pacific waters, but commercial whaling activity greatly reduced their numbers.

DFO says the results of such necropsies feed into a growing body of knowledge that helps in assessing threats to whales from a population health perspective. This data allows them to look at trends, pathogens, or other indicators that may affect the life cycles of whales.

The fin whale is now listed as vulnerable on the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s (IFAW) Red List. After a century of unregulated hunting, they were endangered until 1980, with numbers as low as 3,250 and 6,500.

Fin whales are typically found in BC’s coastal waters during the summer months, migrating from warmer breeding grounds to feed on krill and small fish in the nutrient-rich waters of the North Pacific. (Please note, this footage is from a professional whale watching captain – do not approach marine wildlife on your own even if they appear injured or deceased.) Video: Trent Davis

In a reassessment in 2018, IFAW found that the species regained their population, with 100,000 mature individuals reported globally. However, factors such as hunting, vessel strikes, entanglement, ocean noise, and climate change continue to threaten their existence.

A DFO officer also informed The Northern View they were recently successful in disentangling an entangled humpback whale in Hecate Strait.

They encourage everyone to report injured, disturbed, entangled and dead marine mammals by calling the Fisheries and Ocean’s Observe, Record, Report/Marine Mammal Incident Hotline at 1-800-465-4336 or by email at: [email protected].