[NatureNS] Pygmy Sperm Whale washes up in Halifax Harbour

From: "Laurie Murison" <gmwhale@nbnet.nb.ca>
To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
References: <14F505682DE04FBB92EFF754F24AB335@nshealth.ca> <066f01d063d2$67d92370$0a02a8c0@PHOCOENA> <42D1279ED2CF4F509890AAA2825D4F61@nshealth.ca>
Date: Sat, 21 Mar 2015 10:49:29 -0300
Organization: GMWSRS
Precedence: bulk
Return-Path: <naturens-mml-owner@chebucto.ns.ca>
Original-Recipient: rfc822;"| (cd /csuite/info/Environment/FNSN/MList; /csuite/lib/arch2html)"

next message in archive
next message in thread
previous message in archive
previous message in thread
Index of Subjects

whale, it provided a unique experience to s
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

------=_NextPart_000_06D8_01D063C4.B536C630
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset="UTF-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

They certainly do stray into Maritime waters (usually better known from =
more southerly waters). There have been at least 2 stranded in the New =
Brunswick part of the Bay of Fundy. =20

Laurie Murison
  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Dusan Soudek=20
  To: NatureNS=20
  Sent: Saturday, March 21, 2015 10:08 AM
  Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Pygmy Sperm Whale washes up in Halifax Harbour


  Thank you, Laurie, for the additional information. So the story is a =
little more complicated. It looks like the whale collided with a ship. I =
remember seeing Pygmy Sperm Whale on a list of marine mammal species =
observed =E2=80=93dead or alive-- in Halifax Harbour, produced as part =
of the environmental assessment literature review prior to the first =
harbour cleanup effort in the 1990=E2=80=99s.=20

  Dusan Soudek


  From: Laurie Murison=20
  Sent: Saturday, March 21, 2015 9:27 AM
  To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20
  Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Pygmy Sperm Whale washes up in Halifax Harbour

  I have pasted below what was posted on the MARS (Marine Animal =
Response Society) Facebook page:

  On October 24th, 2014 a small whale was spotted swimming around the =
navy docks in Halifax. It was swimming very slowly, had blood trailing =
from its head and an had an injury to its tail fluke. The Marine Animal =
Response Society (MARS) and protection officers from the Department of =
Fisheries & Oceans (DFO) responded, however a thorough search of the =
area by boat failed to locate the animal.

  On October 28th, the whale was found dead on McNabs Island in Halifax =
Harbour. It was identified as a pygmy sperm whale, an elusive, small =
whale not common in our waters. DFO towed the animal to the Bedford =
Institute of Oceanography, where it was frozen until a necropsy could be =
performed.=20

  On March 12, 2015 the animal was taken to Dalhousie University where =
the necropsy was done. This was directed by a veterinary pathologist =
from UPEI, MARS response coordinators and faculty from Dalhousie =
University. It was also used for teaching both University of PEI =
veterinary students as well as Dalhousie marine biology students. =
Several injuries were documented on the throat and tail and it was =
considered in poor body condition. Sadly, several pieces of plastic as =
well as a long piece of plastic strapping were found lodged in its =
stomach. Although it was a sad outcome for this small whale, it provided =
a unique experience to students from both universities to learn about =
whale anatomy as well as the importance of conservation measures to =
protect whale species. The bones were donated to the Nova Scotia Museum =
of Natural History.

  Laurie Murison
  Grand Manan, NB

    ----- Original Message -----=20
    From: Dusan Soudek=20
    To: NatureNS=20
    Sent: Saturday, March 21, 2015 8:48 AM
    Subject: [NatureNS] Pygmy Sperm Whale washes up in Halifax Harbour

    A letter to the editor (=E2=80=9CLitter lethal to wildlife=E2=80=9D) =
in a recent issue of The Chronicle Herald (March 20) mentions that a =
dead Pygmy Right Whale washed up on McNabs Island recently, and that a =
necropsy revealed several plastic items in its stomach. They apparently =
caused its demise. Does anyone have more information on this incident? =
Has the species ID been confirmed?

    Dusan Soudek
------=_NextPart_000_06D8_01D063C4.B536C630
Content-Type: text/html;
	charset="UTF-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

=EF=BB=BF<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Dutf-8" http-equiv=3DContent-Type>
<META name=3DGENERATOR content=3D"MSHTML 8.00.6001.18928">
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY dir=3Dltr bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>They certainly do stray into Maritime =
waters=20
(usually better known from more southerly waters).&nbsp;There have been =
at least=20
2 stranded in the New Brunswick part of the Bay of Fundy.&nbsp; =
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>Laurie Murison</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; =
PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"=20
dir=3Dltr>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
  <DIV=20
  style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>=20
  <A title=3Dsoudekd@ns.sympatico.ca =
href=3D"mailto:soudekd@ns.sympatico.ca">Dusan=20
  Soudek</A> </DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
title=3Dnaturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20
  href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">NatureNS</A> </DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, March 21, 2015 =
10:08=20
  AM</DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [NatureNS] Pygmy =
Sperm Whale=20
  washes up in Halifax Harbour</DIV>
  <DIV><BR></DIV>
  <DIV dir=3Dltr>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000; FONT-SIZE: =
12pt">
  <DIV>Thank you, Laurie, for the additional information. So the story =
is a=20
  little more complicated. It looks like the whale collided with a ship. =
I=20
  remember seeing Pygmy Sperm Whale on a list of marine mammal species =
observed=20
  =E2=80=93dead or alive-- in Halifax Harbour, produced as part of the =
environmental=20
  assessment literature review prior to the first harbour cleanup effort =
in the=20
  1990=E2=80=99s. </DIV>
  <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
  <DIV>Dusan Soudek</DIV>
  <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
  <DIV=20
  style=3D"FONT-STYLE: normal; DISPLAY: inline; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; =
COLOR: #000000; FONT-SIZE: small; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: =
none">
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt tahoma">
  <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"BACKGROUND: #f5f5f5">
  <DIV style=3D"font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A =
title=3Dgmwhale@nbnet.nb.ca=20
  href=3D"mailto:gmwhale@nbnet.nb.ca">Laurie Murison</A> </DIV>
  <DIV><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, March 21, 2015 9:27 AM</DIV>
  <DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=3Dnaturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20
  href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</A> =
</DIV>
  <DIV><B>Subject:<