Seminar Abstract:

The killer whale(Orca orcinus) represents an important symbol of the northeastern Pacific Ocean, frequenting the waters of Washington State and the Province of British Columbia. The southern resident killer whale population has recently attracted considerable public and scientific interest, with numbers declining from 98 in 1996 to just 82in 2000. Questions have been raised as to the cause of this decline, with suchfactors being cited as diminishing salmon (i.e. prey)abundance,heavy vesseltraffic (i.e. noise and disturbance), and toxic chemical pollution(i.e.immunotoxicity and reproductive impairment). We recently carried out an extensive studyofcontaminant levels and patterns in free-ranging killer whales by analyzingblubberbiopsies taken from 47 healthy individuals from three killer whalepopulations.To our dismay, results suggest that the southern residents andthe transientscannow be considered among the most contaminated marine mammalsin the world,surpassing even the endangered St Lawrence estuary beluga whales.We are currentlyattempting to determine where these chemicals are comingfrom, and whetherthey are adversely affecting the health of these animals.Ourresults suggestthat persistent chemicals, such as the PCBs, are accumulatingin the coastalfood chain of Washingtonand British Columbia, despite earlierattempts at regulation.Pacific killerwhales are providing a useful sentinelservice to managers andconservationistsby integrating contaminant informationfrom the coastal andmarine food chains in this region. Such information providesus with an opportunityto betterunderstand our impact on the marine ecosystemand will hopefullylead us tomore effective mitigative and preventative policiesand actionsin the future.
 

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Biography:

Peter S. Ross is currently employed asaResearch Scientist at the Institute of Ocean Sciences, Sidney, BC, Canada,where he is carrying out research into the levels and patterns of environmentalcontaminants in marine mammals and the effects of these on their health.He holdsan Adjunct Professorship at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver.He has aparticularinterest in studying harbour seals and killer whales inBritishColumbia andWashington, and uses these species as sentinels of marineecosystemhealth.

He has published over 40 internationalscientific articles and several book chapters. Most recently, he publishedan article entitled "High PCB levels in free-ranging Pacific killer whales", whichestablishedBritish Columbia's killer whales as among the most contaminatedmarine mammalsin the world, and suggests that PCBs present a tangible healthrisk to these symbols of the Pacific Ocean.
 

Photo:

Readings

• Koopman-Esseboom,C.,Weisglas,K.N.,de, R.M., van der Paauw CG, Tuinstra,L.G., and Sauer,P.J.1996. Effects of polychlorinated biphenyl/dioxin exposure and feeding type on infants' mental and psychomotor development. Pediatrics 97: 700-706.

• Ross,P.S.2000. Marine mammals as sentinels in ecological risk assessment. Humanand Ecological Risk Assessment 6: 29-46.

• Ross,P.S.,Ellis,G.M., Ikonomou,M.G., Barrett-Lennard, L.G., and Addison, R.F.2000. High PCB concentrations in free-ranging Pacific killer whales, Orcinusorca:effects of age, sex and dietary preference. Mar.Pollut.Bull. 40: 504-515.

Oth er SelectedPublications(optional):

Please sumbit any questions or comments to: susfish@u.washington.edu