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motoged
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Location: Kamloops, BC
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Grey Whale Concerns
It seems some whales aren't doing so well....
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/grey-whales-stranded-west-coast-1.5119056
Don't believe everything you think....
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OCEANUS
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Location: Dana Point; L.A. Bay
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Explanations span from malnourishment to potentially reaching their population carrying capacity. Necropsies support malnourishment idea, as many
stranded whales were "skinny." Something similar happened back in 1999-2000. At that time, it was the younger whales succumbed to starvation first,
and the mortality event extended into a second year with adults dying later as they arguably had more reserves of fat to sustain them.
It would be interesting to hear what Shari and others observed with this year's class. Did these whales appear arrive underweight? Did lagoon fasting
complicate the survival prospects for what was already an undernourished individual?
Time will tell...
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shari
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Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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This season the whales arrived in OJo de Liebre very late supposedly because the ice pack in the Bering Straight didnt freeze over so they had access
to food later....and the numbers across all the lagoons were about half of mother's and calves we usually have.
There were many thin, young solitary whales and 8 dead whales that I knew of...most were young or yearling female whales and very thin which supports
the malnutrition theory. I had never seen so many mortalities in one season.
Gray whales are known to limit reproduction based on food supply which may be why there were fewer calves and we saw hardly any mating either so
perhaps they are compensating for a food scarcity.
They also left the lagoon earlier than usual probably because they were so hungry. So yes I did notice more small whales in poor condition this
season. It will be interesting to see what 2020 brings.
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Bob H
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Very interesting stuff. Thanks Sheri.
The SAME boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg. It's about what you are made of NOT the circumstance.
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OCEANUS
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In today's news, 7 gray whales washed ashore in Alaska over the weekend:
https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/11/us/alaska-dead-gray-whales-tr...
The starvation explanation is still the go to at this point in time.
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shari
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Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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from what I have learned, amphipods that Gray whales eat are starving because they are fed by algae that grows on the underneath side of the ice pack
in Alaska....it dies and drops off the bottom and falls onto the ocean floor where it feeds the amphipods. So because there is significantly less ice
and in some areas where gray whales feed...none at all so the amphipods died. This makes the most sense to me and answers why whales are going to look
for food in areas they dont usually feed in.
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Bubba
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Yes, very good stuff, thank you.
Making America Great Again
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JoeJustJoe
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It doesn't take a climate scientist, Inspector Clouseau, or a Baja whale tourist guide, to determine that man made global Arctic warming is behind the
gray whale deaths due to their food chain supply being disrupted because of the record-low levels of sea ice.
However, the scientists at this time are still investigating other possible causes of death as well as global warming.
_________________________________________
Could Arctic warming be behind gray whale deaths in Alaska, and elsewhere? Here’s why scientists are asking.
The region is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world, and scientists have observed record-low levels of sea ice in the past few years. As a
result, the ocean ecosystem there is in “state of flux,” Foy said.
That has to do with the way sea ice affects the marine food web, and the growth of the tiny phytoplankton that form its base.
When ice is present late into the spring, it creates conditions that cause most of the phytoplankton to fall all the way to the ocean floor, known as
the benthos. At the bottom, the phytoplankton supports an ecosystem dominated by invertebrates, like crabs and sea stars – there aren’t typically
a lot of fish like cod and pollock swimming around. And that “benthic-dominated” ecosystem is what supports gray whales’ primary prey –
shrimp-like creatures called amphipods.
https://www.alaskapublic.org/2019/06/10/could-arctic-warming...
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BajaRat
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Any reports on this years food supply?
Lionel 
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BajaBlanca
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The ramifications of climate change are just astounding. One can only hope that the whales can somehow adapt faster than they die off.
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BajaRat
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We are so fortunate to be able to diversify our food sources
I wonder what alternatives they have and if so what kind of numbers it will support.
It seemed like they were making quite a comeback and now another devastating blow.
Amazing how this specialized food web now has the potential of negative impact on residents of BCS and the other creatures that benefit from the grey
whales wellbeing.
Lionel
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defrag4
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not just the grey whales unfortunately, Orcas dying off as well 
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/three-southe...
[Edited on 8-10-2019 by defrag4]
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BajaRat
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And the PCB levels they are recording are off the charts
Lionel
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bajamary1952
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I read several biologist reports that speculate that the whole area is oversaturated with whales & they have reached their maximum capacity for
the area. That sounds more plausible than the other theories & most articles from different sources mention this:
https://www.oregonlive.com/environment/2019/05/after-a-spike...
[Edited on 8-10-2019 by bajamary1952]
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SFandH
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If the die-off continues for several years, that will be evidence of decreasing food supply which might be attributed to warming arctic waters.
Hopefully, the population just exceeded the carrying capacity and the unusual amount of deaths will end with a decrease in population.
It may take several years of observation to understand what's going on.
[Edited on 8-10-2019 by SFandH]
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AKgringo
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Even without human caused influences, a stable, unchanging ecosystem is almost unheard of in nature. Boom or bust is more common, with one species
filling the void left by the decline of another one.
The brutal whaling industry of the last century left a lot of food for species like pollack to flourish, and sea lions along with them. The recovery
of the whale population, along with the human industry that has grown around commercial fishing, has made it tough to guess what is 'normal' anymore!
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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BajaRat
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I think we can reasonably assume that there is a cap on what the environment will support
But without that particular food source in play it will surely alter that previous number
Lionel
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BajaRat
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One things for sure
Change
Lionel
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David K
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Exactly, change is normal!
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BajaRat
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Change is a consequence
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