After I posted this blog entry this evening, I received this
note from Ken Balcomb:
Hello all,
J35 frolicked past my window today with other J pod whales, and she
looks vigorous and healthy. The ordeal of her carrying a dead calf
for at least seventeen days and 1,000 miles is now over, thank
goodness. She probably has lost two others since her son was born
in 2010, and the loss of her most recent may have been emotionally
hard on her.
—–
It has been heart-breaking to follow the story of the
20-year-old orca mom named Tahlequah (J-35), who has been carrying
her dead newborn calf for nearly three weeks. But Tahlequah’s
travails might add new insight into the mysterious death of a
3-year-old orca, who washed up on the Long Beach Peninsula in
2012.
Ken Balcomb, the dean of killer whale research in Puget Sound,
has always maintained that the young whale, designated L-112, was
killed by a concussive blast of some sort that caused massive
trauma inside her skull. He suspects that military operations were
to blame.
A 3-year-old orca known as
L-112 shown here before her death in 2012.
Photo: Center for Whale Research
The Canadian Navy acknowledges that it was conducting exercises
near the U.S.-Canada border up to seven days before the dead whale
was found. The activities, which included the use of sonar and
detonations, started 85 miles northwest of the Strait of Juan de
Fuca and ended up inside the Strait. The detonations were said to
be too small to kill a whale except at a very close range.
Ken Balcomb, the dean of killer whale research in Puget Sound,
is asking federal authorities to reopen the investigation into the
death of L-112, a young female orca who died two years ago of
mysterious causes.
Ken
Balcomb
Ken maintains that an underwater “blast” remains the mostly
likely cause of death for the whale, who was known as Sooke — or
Victoria, as Ken originally named her.
A
draft final report (PDF 2.3 mb) by the National Marine
Fisheries Service, dated Feb. 24, states that “blunt trauma to the
head and neck is the prime consideration for the cause of
mortality. Despite extensive diagnostic evaluation, the cause of
the head and neck injuries could not be determined.”
See
Water Ways, Feb. 25, for a discussion of the final report and
links to other stories.
The official investigation could find no military operations in
the area off the Washington/Oregon coast, where the young whale was
found dead on Feb. 11, 2012. In looking for a cause of the trauma,
the report essentially rules out several underwater explosions set
off by the Canadian Navy a week before, on Feb. 4, 5 and 6 off
Vancouver Island. These activities occurred too far north — and
prevailing winds and currents were in the opposite direction,
according to the report.
But Ken Balcomb argues that the report fails to fully consider
how L-112 could have ended up south of these military exercises.
Currents are not certain, he said. They can change, and eddies can
even flow in the opposite direction from prevailing currents. Ken
also raises the prospect that a dead or dying orca calf could be
carried a great distance by other members of the pod.
“I consider the evidence presented in the NMFS report to be
selected and filtered to depict a preferred hypothetical scenario,
rather than one that may be more realistic,” he wrote to NMFS, the
federal agency in charge of protecting marine mammals.
Report:“The absence of right cerebral
hemisphere and right cerebellum of the brain was secondary to loss
of tissue during disarticulation of the head. Significance is
uncertain based on imaging alone, but unilateral loss of brain
tissue is unusual.”
Ken’s comment:“UNUSUAL! The right cerebral
hemisphere and cerebellum were completely mushed and there was
evidence of hemorrhage in the calvarium, both significant findings
of brain damage from a blast impact. The observation is consistent
with blast trauma.”
On the ear bones:
Report:“The CT results showed no evidence
of bone fractures or damage to the middle or inner ear bones. These
results do not conflict with gross observations and the proposed
cause of acute or peracute death by blunt force trauma; however,
blast- or seismic-related injuries cannot be
entirely discounted.”
Ken’s comment:”Upon gross dissection both
tympanic bullae were found to be dislocated from their fragile bony
pedestals anchoring them to the cranium. While it may be accurate
to say that no evidence of fractures or damage to the middle or
inner ear bones on the CT scans, it is misleading to infer that no
damage was evident to the ears (see page 11 of Necropsy
report).”
On possible attack by another marine
animal:
Report:“The primary signs of injury reported
from aggressive attacks are rake marks, musculoskeletal and/or
intra tissue trauma (bruising, tearing) attributed to ramming and
sometimes death. Contrary to the cases reported in the literature,
L-112 was a juvenile animal (older and larger than a calf or
neonate), and the examiners did not document tooth rake marks
associated with the signs of hemorrhage they observed during the
gross examination. Nevertheless, we cannot rule out the possibility
that L-112 suffered injuries from an aggressive attack, such as
ramming, by a larger animal.”
Ken’s comment:“The presumed hypothesis
suggested by the last sentence is absolutely preposterous, given
the evidence of a massive single traumatic event causing the mortal
injury. To not rule out the attack hypothesis while ruling out
blast trauma is ludicrous.”
On currents:
Report:“Because of prevailing currents and
eddies it is unlikely that L-112 died in Canadian waters or the
Strait of Juan de Fuca and drifted south, but instead likely died
in the Columbia River plume or farther to the south along the coast
of Oregon. Given the state of decomposition at the time of
stranding the body was either carried by eddies for several days or
may have drifted a substantial distance from the south before being
trapped by the eddies and cast ashore on the Long Beach
Peninsula.”
Ken’s comment:“The drift patterns can be quite
different from year to year, as well as from season to season, or
even week to week. It is regrettable that drifters were not
deployed near the west entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca in
February 2012. There was a NOAA cruise in these waters at that
time, and I asked the chief scientist to deploy drifters or some
identifiable devices to ascertain the real time drift pattern at
that time. One can surmise from the temperature regimes that were
documented real-time that there was an anomalous cold water regime
moving in a southerly direction in February 2012, but there were no
current measurements.”
On the possibility of transport by another
orca
Ken’s comment:“I further request that the
investigation team thoughtfully consider the relevant cetacean
epimeletic behavior … (He mentions two studies.) Hoyt (1981) in
‘Orca, the Whale Called killer” on page 92 states: ‘Among
cetaceans, and especially the dolphin family (including orca),
care-giving behavior to sick or wounded family members seems
exemplary. Moby Doll was supported by members of his family after
he was harpooned in 1964. On another occasion off the B.C. coast, a
young killer whale was hit by a government ferry boat, the
propeller accidentally slashing its back. The ferry captain stopped
the boat and watched a male and a female supporting the bleeding
calf. Fifteen days later, two whales supporting a third –
presumably the same group — were observed at the same
place.'”
Ken concludes his remarks with this: “These comments are
dedicated to L86 and L112, the most overtly affectionate
mother/offspring pair of whales I have ever seen. Rest in peace,
L112. We miss you.”
The unusual death of L-112, a young female orca apparently
killed by “blunt force trauma,” continues to fuel discussions about
what may have killed her and what should be done about it.
Kenneth Hess, a Navy public affairs officer,
posted a comment today on the recent blog entry
“Balcomb wants to know if young orca was bombed.” In his
comment, Hess repeats that the Navy did not conduct any training
with sonar, bombs or explosives in the days preceding L-112’s
death. He called it “irresponsible and inaccurate” to blame the
Navy for “blowing up” the whale.
Another new development today is an e-mail I received from Lt.
Diane Larose of the Canadian Navy, responding to my inquiry about
any explosive devices used in the days before L-112 was found dead
on Feb. 11.
Read the e-mail (PDF 16 kb) I received:
“On February 6, 2012 HMCS Ottawa was operating in the Straits of
Juan de Fuca, specifically in Constance Bank, conducting Work Ups
Training including a period of sonar use and two small under water
charges as part of an anti-submarine warfare exercise. These small
charges were used to get the ships’ company to react to a potential
threat or damage to meet the necessary training requirement.”
In talking to experts involved in the investigation, it seems
unlikely that L-112 could have been injured or killed in the Strait
of Juan de Fuca and then wash up dead on Long Beach five days
later. So the mystery continues.
In
tomorrow’s Kitsap Sun, I’m reporting that environmental groups
on both sides of the Canadian border are calling on their
respective navies to disclose all the specific activities during
the 10 days leading up to the discovery of L-112’s carcass at Long
Beach on Feb. 11. The groups also are calling for a complete
cessation of sonar use for training and testing in the Salish
Sea.
Check out three letters submitted to the navies involved,
including one from U.S. and Canadian scientists: Continue reading →
Ken Balcomb, the dean of killer whale research in the Northwest,
has looked at the evidence and believes he knows what killed L-112,
a 3-year-old female orca found along the Washington Coast in
February.
L-112 in happier times. The
3-year-old orca died in February, and her death is the subject of
an intense investigation.
Photo by Jeanne Hyde, Whale of a Porpoise (Click on image to see Jeanne's tribute
page)
When I asked Ken to explain, he provided a lot more detail and
informed me that he was calling for a law-enforcement investigation
into the whale’s death by the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Why he is seeking more than a biological analysis of the death will
become clear in a moment.
What Ken is suggesting is that L-112 was killed by a bomb,
possibly dropped from an aircraft during a training event in the
Navy’s Northwest Training Range off the West Coast. His evidence is
circumstantial, but he wants some answers.
What we know for sure is that this young female orca washed up
dead at Long Beach on Feb. 11 in relatively fresh condition,
allowing a complete necropsy, including CT scans of the head and
dissections of the internal organs and head.
Joe Gaydos, a veterinarian with The SeaDoc Society who
participated in the necropsy, said the whale showed signs of “blunt
force trauma” with injury to the right and left sides of the head
and right side of the body. Blunt force trauma might be what a
human would experience if dropped from a helicopter onto soft
ground, he explained. Continue reading →
When one of our resident killer whales, L-112, was found dead
north of Long Beach on Feb. 11, people wondered immediately if the
death might be related to a sonar incident reported a few days
before.
Could the two events be linked or could the timing be just a
coincidence?
The two-year-old killer
whale, L-112, was laid out after death and prepared for a
necropsy.
Photo by Cascadia Research
So far, I have been unable to find a ship that was deploying
sonar off the coast. At the same time, it appears highly unlikely
that L-112 could have been injured by sonar in the Strait of Juan
de Fuca and then somehow swam out of the strait and down the full
length of the Washington coast, succumb to death and then wash up
on the beach, all in less than five days.
New evidence may come to light, but for now I would caution that
we need to wait for an investigation by the National Marine
Fisheries Service and not jump to conclusions over our concerns
about sonar.
I discussed the investigation with marine mammal expert Lynne
Barre of NMFS. She said the endangered listing of Southern
Residents has heightened interest in all killer whale strandings,
particularly unusual deaths like that of this 2-year-old female
orca.
Lynne seems to confirm the idea that the investigation will
proceed along three tracks. First, there’s the physical condition
of L-112, as will be determined through careful examinations.
Second, there’s the question of where L-112 and her family group
were located during the time of injury. And, third, investigators
need to locate ships with sonar capabilities and determine whether
any of them had been using them in the time period in question.
Jessie Huggins of Cascadia Research and Dyanna Lambourn of the
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife provided an
initial report from the necropsy:
“The whale was moderately decomposed and in good overall body
condition. Internal exam revealed significant trauma around the
head, chest and right side; at this point the cause of these
injuries is unknown.”
Jessie told me that the whale was probably dead two to four days
before it washed up on the beach. Trauma to the head was consistent
with a blunt force, such as a boat collision or an attack by
another large animal. The report mentions the prospects for what
researchers may learn from various tissue samples taken from the
whale.
Of particular interest to the sonar question is the skull, which
has been frozen for the time being. Lynne Barre said it will
undergo a CT scan with the hope of obtaining information about the
condition of the inner ear and the delicate tissues involved in
echolocation. Damage to those tissues could be an indication of
trauma from a sound source, but experts will need to account for
any decomposition after death. These issues are more complicated
than they might seem.
As for the location of L-112 and her family, that probably will
never be known unless one of the hydrophones picked up and recorded
calls from L pod. Scott Veirs, associated with OrcaSound, has been
working tirelessly the past few days to locate any orca sounds that
may have been picked up throughout the area.
Scott has noted that killer whale calls consistent with K and L
pods were picked up on two hydrophones in the San Juan Islands on
Monday, Feb. 6, just 18 hours after a Canadian frigate, the HMCS
Ottawa, transmitted loud pings throughout the area
(Water Ways, Feb. 11). The two hydrophones picked up the sounds
one after the other, suggesting that those whales were heading
south toward the Strait of Juan de Fuca
(OrcaSound, Feb. 8).
The next day, Tuesday, Feb. 7, some members of K and L pod were
spotted in Discovery Bay between Sequim and Port Townsend,
according to reports to Orca
Network. Nobody can remember seeing Southern Resident killer
whales there before. Could they have gone into the bay one day
earlier, seeking refuge from the sonar? We may never know.
But if we’re talking about the death of L-112, subsequent IDs of
the whales in Discovery Bay suggest that the group probably did not
include L-112 or her family. I’m still trying to learn which whales
likely would have been with L-112 around the time of her death. But
chances are she and her family were out in the ocean when all this
excitement was taking place in Puget Sound.
So that leaves the question of whether a ship could have been
using sonar off the coast when L-112 was within range. I have been
in touch with both U.S. and Canadian Navy public affairs officials,
and both have denied that their ships were using sonar in the ocean
during this time.
Lt. Diane Larose of the Canadian Navy confirms that two
sonar-equipped Canadian Navy ships, the HMSC Ottawa and the HMCS
Algonquin, were out at sea before entering the Salish Sea at the
time of Exercise
Pacific Guardian. But neither ship deployed their sonar before
reaching the Salish Sea on Feb. 6, when Ottawa’s pinging was picked
up on local hydrophones, she said. Navy officials say they followed
procedures to avoid harm to marine mammals and have seen no
evidence that marine mammals were in the area at the time.
A lot of gaps remain to be filled in, including the source of an
unusual explosive-type sound at the beginning of the hydrophone
recording that includes the Ottawa sonar, which Scott Veirs
discovered
(OrcaSound, Feb. 6).
Lynne Barre of NMFS agreed that the best thing for now is to
wait until the investigation begins to answer some of the lingering
questions. Sometimes the cause of death may include contributing
factors, such as weakened immune systems that lead to disease that
ultimately lead to a physical injury of some kind.
This is the third dead killer whale to be found in the vicinity
since November. The others were a newborn calf from an offshore
group of orcas and a very decomposed adult orca from the offshore
population.
In all the discussions about sonar, we should not forget that
the loss of this young female killer whale is significant for a
variety of reasons. I remember the optimism that came with her
birth back in the spring of 2009. See
Kitsap Sun, March 5, 2009. L-112 also was one of the orcas who
received two names, in this case Sooke and Victoria, because Ken
Balcomb also named some whales at the time.
(See Water Ways, Aug. 25, 2010.)
