In this study, blubber samples from orca whales were taken, using a dart gun. Eight live free-ranging whales showed contamination levels 6 to 20 times higher than other Arctic species. Norwegian orca whale contamination levels surpassed the levels found in harbor seals, polar bears, and white whales. High levels of PCBs and chlorinated pesticides were found in the tissues of killer whales, likely due to their high concentration in the whales’ primary diet source, herring.
Three orca pods living in Puget Sound from May through October, known as the southern resident killer whale population, were declared federally endangered late last year by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the federal agency responsible for protecting marine species. According to a NMFS spokesman, "it is highly likely that this population of killer whales will be extinct within 100 years if conditions do not improve...""
I wonder what the levels look like in the orcas kept at Sea World...
ReplyDeleteIs the endangered status of the whales directly linked to pesticide exposure?
ReplyDelete