Media Release - For Immediate Release
April 27 2010
Whale Researcher to Speak to International Whaling Commission
Photo: Jim Borrowman, Straitwatch |
A Saint Mary’s Biology professor will appear before the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in Morocco next month to share research that may change the way the North Pacific gray whale population is managed.
Once a fixture of the U.S. endangered species list, the gray whale population has grown to more than 20,000 in the last two decades and is no longer considered under threat.
But with the return to health, several aboriginal groups in Washington and British Columbia are looking to reassert their treaty rights and resume their aboriginal hunts of this species.
Most Eastern Pacific gray whales spend the winters breeding off the coast of Baja California and then migrate north to spend the summers feeding in the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas off northern Alaska. However, a small number of individuals (~200) stop their migration short, and remain in the coastal waters of Oregon, Washington, and B.C. throughout the summer.
Dr. Tim Frasier said the relationship of this “southern feeding group” of whales to the rest of the population is unknown, however, understanding this relationship is key for proper management because it is the southern whales that will be the primary target of the proposed aboriginal hunts.
Dr. Frasier recently carried out genetic analyses involving the southern group. When his results are combined with information obtained by a close collaborator who has been conducting field studies of these whales for over 30 years, the combined data suggest that the southern feeding group represents a distinct set of gray whale lineages – where calves have learned about these feeding grounds from their mothers over many generations.
This distinct nature of the of the population will be important to consider when developing management strategies, said Dr. Frasier. It is the reason he has been invited to present this information.
Dr. Frasier was asked to speak to the Whaling Commission after he sent a paper detailing his finding to senior Commission officials and the principals involved in the treaty hunting rights discussions. He has never spoken before a world organization before, but he looks forward to the opportunity to present his research and see it used a direct way to impact management decisions.
The International Whaling Commission is an international body set up in 1946 to provide for the proper management of whale stocks.
Dr. Frasier will make his presentation during the first week of May.
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For More Information:
Steve Proctor
External Affairs
Saint Mary's University
(902) 420.5513
E-mail: steve.proctor@smu.ca
www.smu.ca
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