A look back: tomorrow marks twelve years since two orcas live-stranded in Washington. Two California Biggs transient killer whales beached off Dungeness Spit Washington on 2 January 2002: CA188 and his presumed mom CA189; she died on the beach. CA188 was successfully pushed off the beach after six tries: he reached open water and swam towards the Strait of Juan de Fuca, (which leads to the Pacific Ocean), but has not been encountered since. (Their previous known sighting was off Coos Bay, Oregon in 1996, attacking Dalls porpoise). The necropsy and toxicology analyses revealed that CA189 was the most toxic marine mammal ever sampled: she had the highest levels of PCBs and DDT ever found in an orca (weakening her immune system), she had a bacterial infection, and a large abscess near the back of her skull. CA189 is on display in the Port Townsend Marine Science Center. Great photos by Vickie Doyle!
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 05:06:54 +0000
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