NOAA Probe 30 Dead Whales Off Alaska


These deaths haven’t been occurring only in United States water, either. There have also been whale deaths in the neighboring territories of British Columbia and Canada.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said that 30 whales have perished in the Western Gulf of Alaska since May, making the authorities declare a special state of emergency, called the Unusual Mortality Event (UME).

UME involves a “significant die-off of any marine mammal population,” that calls for an immediate response.

Over the course of last three months four types of whales have been affected. So far 11 fin, 14 humpback, one gray and four “unidentified cetaceans” have died.

Only one whale carcass has had samples taken so far, with the rest of the dead whales having been left floating showing “moderate to severe decomposition.” According to NOAA, Canada already conducted a necropsy on two whales it found and is waiting for the results to come back to the lab.

So far, scientists have ruled out a Fukushima connection, saying “it is highly unlikely,” that the dead whale sampled by the Americans was exposed to cesium 134/137 radioactive agents.

“Preliminary results do not suggest any unusual exposure to human-generated radionuclides, specifically cesium, that would be considered harmful to wildlife,” NOAA said.

So far, only one sample has been taken due to the rate of decomposition of the whales. While this investigation could take months or years to complete, it’s important to determine the cause of death. Though, hopefully by the time they do, it won’t be too late to prevent more deaths similar to these.

Read more at: RT

 



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