By Elizabeth Murtaugh
Associated Press
SEATTLE — Scientists will attempt to capture an ailing orphan orca that has been languishing in Puget Sound for several months and return her to her native pod in Canada, the National Marine Fisheries Service said Friday.
Fisheries service officials said it would be a high-risk operation, but it would be best to remove the young female killer whale from the busy waters off Vashon Island as soon as possible.
After a few weeks of rehabilitation in a pen, the whale would be relocated to Johnstone Strait off Canada’s Vancouver Island, the summer home of her pod.
"I want to emphasize this is a first. It has never been done before," Bob Lohn regional administrator for fisheries service, told a news conference. "We don’t know what the prospects are, but we think it is worth doing."
Lohn said a team of scientists was being assembled to determine the best way to capture, treat, transport and prepare the young female for return to her pod. Although whales have been captured in the wild and placed in captivity, no one has yet captured a wild whale and reintroduced it into a pod.
No schedule has been set, he said, but officials hope to capture the whale in two or three weeks, spend another two weeks giving it medical tests and treatment, then transport it to the strait in a day if possible. The whale then would be kept in a netted section of a bay for about two weeks or until her native pod arrives on its annual migration south, approximately mid- to late July.
Lohn had no cost estimate for the operation, but said it could easily be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. He said the fisheries service may apply for federal grants to help pay the cost and turn to public-interest groups to rally additional funding from private donors.
Lohn repeatedly emphasized the risk of the capture and relocation, but said it was better than leaving the whale, whose health appears to be deteriorating, in Puget Sound. The whale, officially called A-73 for its pod and birth order, lately has been approaching boats and lingers near the busy Vashon Island ferry terminal, about three miles west of Seattle.
"We don’t want this whale to substitute boats for fellow orcas," he said.
A panel of U.S. and Canadian researchers, activist observers, and staff from the Vancouver, British Columbia, Aquarium recommended earlier this month that the whale be captured and treated.
But the fisheries service held off, citing concerns that moving her might cause stress that could harm her health.
"We’re really proceeding on very unknown ground," Lohn said.
U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., called the decision "great news."
"NMFS’ decision to intervene and develop a plan for A-73 now, ultimately increases its chances for long term survival," Cantwell said. "I hope everyone will work together to give this orca the opportunity to thrive."
Jacques White, with the nonprofit People for Puget Sound, commended the fisheries service for studying the possible risks and benefits of intervening.
"I think this whale was sort of a canary in the coal mine, if you will, letting people know there are potential problems in the ecosystem," White said, referring to a decline in the Puget Sound’s orca population. "If she’s been a messenger letting people know about the need to protect Puget Sound, then that’s a good thing."
A-73 was first spotted near the Vashon Island ferry dock in mid-January. Canadian researchers say her mother, A-45, is dead. The 1 1/2- to 2-year-old calf apparently was left behind by her pod, where her only known relative was a grandmother.
The whale has several apparent health problems, including worms and whale pox — a skin ailment that has caused much of her skin to discolor and slough off. The skin problem is creeping close to sensitive areas around her blowhole and eyes.
She also has ketosis, a condition that makes breath smell like paint thinner because proteins are not being metabolized properly. In humans, ketosis can be a symptom of starvation, diabetes or metabolic problems, but those problems have been ruled out in the orca’s case by observation and blood tests.
The orca spends her days catching steelhead, loafing near the surface and sometimes spending hours rubbing against sticks or logs, possibly because she craves the physical contact she would have if she were with her family group.
Some activists insist the whale should be left alone, arguing that intervention could result in a lifetime in captivity.
It’s unclear whether A-73, even if nursed back to health, would be accepted by her pod, which usually spends June through September near Vancouver Island. Scientists say they are unaware of any orcas that have been welcomed back into a pod after a sustained absence.
While solo juvenile orcas are rare, scientists know of two in the region this year — A-73 and L-98, a male from L-pod based near Washington’s San Juan Islands who has been living on the west side of Vancouver Island since last fall.
Mark Sears, a West Seattle resident and field researcher who first spotted A-73, said he won’t be sad to see her go.
"These whales, we’ve had an impact on them," Sears said. "We owe it to them to do this, at least attempt it, and we’ll go from there if it fails."
Copyright ©2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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