US - At least 9 fin whales found dead off Alaska; 3 more found dead on Canadian beach

[sharon sanders]

Endangered whales are dying off in Alaska, and scientists are racing to discover why

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By Rachel Feltman June 19

The first of several dead fin whales, later named FW01, floats outside Marmot Bay on May 23. (MV Kennicott crew courtesy NOAA)
Alaskan researchers report that at least nine fin whales have been found dead in the water in recent weeks. It's rare for more than one such death to be discovered every year or so, they say, and they're exhaustively searching for a possible cause. It's possible that warming ocean temperatures could be partially to blame.

more...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/s...-discover-why/

[Pathfinder]

Dead Fish, Wildlife In Aleutians May Be Victims Of Toxic Algae Outbreak

By John Ryan, KUCB - Unalaska | July 27, 2015

Scientists have been receiving reports of dead and dying mammals, birds and small fish in the Aleutian Islands. They think the killer might be toxic algae proliferating in unusually warm ocean waters.
...
?All the signs are that we?re having a major harmful algal bloom event,? Bruce Wright with the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association said.

Wright said it could be the algae that cause paralytic shellfish poisoning; the algae that generate domoic acid are another possible culprit.
...
?They?re a suspected cause for some of the mass deaths we?ve been seeing?the 10 fin whales that were spotted dead off of Kodiak Island; I know Adak has seen a lot of dead birds, King Cove, I believe [birds in] False Pass have been washing up. We don?t know the cause of that yet either,? Good said. ?In the past, we?ve seen incidences where sand lance, a little plankton-eating fish, was accumulating these high toxins from these algae in their system. The birds were eating sand lance, these small forage fish, and were dying. No one that I know of is sure what happened.?
...

http://www.alaskapublic.org/2015/07/27/algal-bloom-to-blame-for-dying-wildlife-in-the-aleutians/

[Emily]

http://www.cknw.com/2015/11/18/dead-fin-whales-wash-up-near-bella-bella/

Dead fin whales found on shore near Bella Bella

Vancouver, BC, Canada / News Talk 980 CKNW | Vancouver's News. Vancouver's Talk
Simon Little
November 18, 2015 06:32 pm
... Paul Cottrel with the DFO says a multiple death like this is extremely unusual.
?We just get one or two a year, and usually never in the same area like this, or on the same beach which is even more rare. So that?s why it?s definitely a very unique situation.?
He says all three whales were juvenile males, two of them likely younger than two-years-old.
...
Photos of the whales were posted by Heltsiuk First Nation Coastal Guardian Watchman Randy Carpenter, who believes the whales were chased ashore by transient Orcas.
But Cottrel says that doesn?t seem to be the case.
?We were also thinking the same thing initially, given there are three animals ashore. But typically transients will select one animal and focus on that animal.?...