Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) Deaths in Prince William Sound, Alaska, 1985–1990
During 1985–1990, two groups of killer whales in Prince William Sound, Alaska, experienced unusually high rates of mortality, while seven others did not. Those affected were AB pod, part of the southern Alaska population of resident (fish-eating) killer whales, and the AT1 transient (marine mammal–e...
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| Format: | Online |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis
2013
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| Online Access: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3545487/ |
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pubmed-35454872013-01-16 Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) Deaths in Prince William Sound, Alaska, 1985–1990 Fraker, Mark A. Perspective Articles During 1985–1990, two groups of killer whales in Prince William Sound, Alaska, experienced unusually high rates of mortality, while seven others did not. Those affected were AB pod, part of the southern Alaska population of resident (fish-eating) killer whales, and the AT1 transient (marine mammal–eating) group, a very small, reproductively isolated population that last reproduced in 1984. In 1985–1986, several AB pod members were shot by fishermen defending their catch from depredation, which explains some of the deaths. Understanding the other deaths is complicated by the Exxon Valdez oil spill (March 1989) and uncertainties about the causes and times of the deaths. For AB pod, possible factors involved in the post-spill mortalities are delayed effects of bullet wounds, continued shooting, oil exposure, and consequences of being orphaned. For the AT1 group, possible factors are oil exposure, small population size, old age, and high-contaminant burdens. An analysis of possible effects of inhalation of volatile organic compounds, contact with the oil slick, and ingestion of oil with water or prey did not reveal route(s) of exposure that could explain the mortalities. The cause(s) of the killer whale deaths recorded following the oil spill remain uncertain. Taylor & Francis 2013-01-02 2013-01 /pmc/articles/PMC3545487/ /pubmed/23335844 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10807039.2012.719385 Text en Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC |
| repository_type |
Open Access Journal |
| institution_category |
Foreign Institution |
| institution |
US National Center for Biotechnology Information |
| building |
NCBI PubMed |
| collection |
Online Access |
| language |
English |
| format |
Online |
| author |
Fraker, Mark A. |
| spellingShingle |
Fraker, Mark A. Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) Deaths in Prince William Sound, Alaska, 1985–1990 |
| author_facet |
Fraker, Mark A. |
| author_sort |
Fraker, Mark A. |
| title |
Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) Deaths in Prince William Sound, Alaska, 1985–1990 |
| title_short |
Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) Deaths in Prince William Sound, Alaska, 1985–1990 |
| title_full |
Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) Deaths in Prince William Sound, Alaska, 1985–1990 |
| title_fullStr |
Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) Deaths in Prince William Sound, Alaska, 1985–1990 |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) Deaths in Prince William Sound, Alaska, 1985–1990 |
| title_sort |
killer whale (orcinus orca) deaths in prince william sound, alaska, 1985–1990 |
| description |
During 1985–1990, two groups of killer whales in Prince William Sound, Alaska, experienced unusually high rates of mortality, while seven others did not. Those affected were AB pod, part of the southern Alaska population of resident (fish-eating) killer whales, and the AT1 transient (marine mammal–eating) group, a very small, reproductively isolated population that last reproduced in 1984. In 1985–1986, several AB pod members were shot by fishermen defending their catch from depredation, which explains some of the deaths. Understanding the other deaths is complicated by the Exxon Valdez oil spill (March 1989) and uncertainties about the causes and times of the deaths. For AB pod, possible factors involved in the post-spill mortalities are delayed effects of bullet wounds, continued shooting, oil exposure, and consequences of being orphaned. For the AT1 group, possible factors are oil exposure, small population size, old age, and high-contaminant burdens. An analysis of possible effects of inhalation of volatile organic compounds, contact with the oil slick, and ingestion of oil with water or prey did not reveal route(s) of exposure that could explain the mortalities. The cause(s) of the killer whale deaths recorded following the oil spill remain uncertain. |
| publisher |
Taylor & Francis |
| publishDate |
2013 |
| url |
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3545487/ |
| _version_ |
1611947070077272064 |