THE TALE OF ONE BLUE WHALE
Published on Sep 14 2018
In this blog I will be sharing the tale of a whale, a blue whale to be exact. It’s a sad tale but one that has created a unique opportunity to showcase and preserve our natural history.
Before we dive in, let’s take a moment to appreciate just how incredible blue whales are. The blue whale is the largest animal on Earth. And not just on Earth today, but ever known to humankind! These creatures can weigh up to 200 tons. In fact, their tongue alone can weigh more than an elephant! I don’t know about you, but I feel pretty lucky to live alongside these magnificent animals. Unfortunately, most of the time, humans are not good at coexisting with the natural world around us. This has resulted in many species both on land and in the water, becoming endangered, including the blue whale. The population size of the Northwest Atlantic blue whale is not known, however, it is estimated to be no more than 250 individuals.
A washed up blue whale
On May 2nd, 2017 the Liverpool Department of Fisheries and Oceans found a dead 60-foot juvenile blue whale on East Berlin Beach in Queens County, Nova Scotia. The dead whale had been spotted in the ocean several times before, but this time it had washed up. The death of any whale makes for a sad event, especially when than there are less than 250 remaining in a population. What made this case even worse is that this individual was a female, meaning that had she not died, she likely could have had calves, helping this deteriorating population.
In order to determine the cause of a death of an animal, a necropsy is performed. Necropsies allow scientists to understand if the death was a result of natural or human cause such as shipping, fishing or pollutants. Without necropsies it would be impossible to tell or quantify just how much of an impact human activity has on animals. I had the amazing opportunity of participating in the necropsy of this blue whale.
A different kind of close encounter
Following the discovery of the blue whale, veterinarians, scientists, volunteers and experts from the Marine Animal Response Society gathered on East Berlin Beach to conduct the necropsy. It is very rare that whales of this size wash up on the shore of Nova Scotia, so to have a blue whale as my first necropsy experience was very exciting and unique.
As I made my way to the site with a few other marine enthusiasts, I had no idea what to expect or how I would feel when I arrived at the beach. I had seen whales in the wild before (and it is absolutely magical) but never a blue whale and never a whale in its entirety. When whale watching, you’re lucky to see just a fluke! Washed up on a beach is not the way I ever want to see a whale but I made the most of this experience and it was incredible.
When I arrived at the beach I was blown away by the size of this animal. Its organs were massive and so were its bones. The baleen, the filter feeding system used by blue whales and other baleen whales, was very interesting to see up-close and touch. Because of its weight, we cut the baleen into several smaller pieces but even then more than one person was needed to carry a piece. This was the same for the skeletal components like the ribs and vertebrae. Now I wouldn’t be accurately describing my experience if I didn’t warn you of the smell….Oh the smell… like the whale, it is something that I will never, ever forget. I don’t think I could explain it even if I tried.
Everyone involved in the necropsy worked extremely hard and I felt lucky to be surrounded by interesting and intelligent people. Unfortunately, I have not yet officially heard what the results of the necropsy were.
A unique opportunity for Nova Scotia
By the end of the necropsy the whale had been removed from the beach, the skeleton defleshed, each bone labelled and loaded into a truck to be taken to Dalhousie. The univeristy kept the skeleton, with the final goal being to have the huge blue whale skeleton on public display serving as both an educational opportunity and an attraction. Gordon Price, a professor at Dalhousie University involved in this project was quoted in a recent article saying, “There aren’t too many blue whale specimens, skeletal specimens in the world that are on display, and it’s certainly a very unique opportunity for the province.”
I am glad there are people working hard to make the most out of an otherwise sad situation. Before the skeleton can be mounted and displayed, it has to be properly preserved. This is a rather long process that staff and students at Dalhousie at the Truro campus are working hard on right now. It’s definitely worth taking the time to read this article to learn more.
Thank you for reading. Here’s to more whales in the ocean and less on the beach.
Best fishes,
Meghan