Table 8. Confirmed human-caused mortality and serious
injury records of Canadian East Coast minke whales,
2002-2006
| Datea |
Report Typeb |
Age, Sex, Length |
Locationa |
Assigned Cause:
P=primary, S=secondary |
Notes/Observations |
| Ship strike |
Entang./
Fsh inter |
| 7/17/02 |
mortality |
Female,
4.6m (est) |
Bar Harbor,
ME (44º18.22'N 68º07.43'W) |
|
P |
Unknown
fishery; carcass had a rope scar on the peduncle with associated
hemorrhaging; additional bruising around the epiglottis and larynx; no gear
recovered |
| 10/15/02 |
mortality |
Female,
5.1m |
Gloucester,
MA (42º36'N 70º39W) |
|
P |
Whale
was entangled through the mouth and around the pectoral flippers; gear from state water lobster fishery was
still on the whale |
| 5/24/03 |
mortality |
Male,
7.6m |
Gloucester,
MA (42º40.8'N 70º39.6'W) |
|
P |
Unknown
fishery; line marks on head and dorsal fin; no line present; cut across back anterior
to dorsal fin; no gear recovered |
| 5/31/03 |
mortality |
Female
3.6m (est) |
Martha’s Vineyard,
MA (41º21.0'N 70º47.5'W) |
|
P |
Unknown
fishery; whale stranded live wrapped in about 15 feet of 5.5 inch mesh
netting, probably trawl gear |
| 6/28/03 |
mortality |
Male,
9.1m |
Chatham,
MA (41º40'N 69º55'W) |
|
P |
Lobster
fishery; wrapped in lobster gear |
| 8/9/03 |
mortality |
Sub-adult Female,
3.5m (est) |
Harwich,
MA (41º37.3'N 70º03.0'W) |
|
P |
Unknown
fishery; hemorrhaging in areas with net marks on whale; no gear recovered |
| 9/13/03 |
mortality |
Sub-adult Female,
6m (est) |
Casco Bay,
ME (43º42'N 69º58'W) |
|
P |
Unknown
fishery; freshly dead; external chaffing marks and belly slit open; no gear
recovered |
| 5/6/04 |
mortality |
Female,
7.7m |
Martha’s
Vinyard,
MA (41º21'N 70º40'W) |
|
P |
Unknown
fishery; constricting line marks on
peduncle; indications of drowning from internal exam |
| 6/1/04 |
mortality |
Female,
6.5m |
Chatham,
MA (41º 41'N 69º56'W) |
P |
|
Large
area of subdermal hemorrhaging |
| 7/19/04 |
mortality |
Female,
7.9m |
Eastham,
MA (41º54'N 69º58'W) |
|
P |
Unknown
fishery; extensive entanglement markings; no gear recovered |
| 5/23/05 |
mortality |
Sub-adult Male,
5.9m |
Port
Elizabeth,
NJ
(40° 41'N 74° 09'W) |
P |
|
Ribs shattered; liver ruptured; evidence of internal
hemorrhaging |
| a.
The date sighted and location provided in the table are not necessarily when
or where the serious injury or mortality occurred; rather, this information
indicates when and where the whale was first reported beached, entangled, or
injured. b.
National guidelines for determining what constitutes a serious injury have not been finalized. Interim criteria as established
by NERO/NMFS (Nelson et al. 2007) have been used here. Some assignments may change as
new information becomes available and/or when national standards are
established. |