Humpback Whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae) Fatally Poisoned by Dinoflagellate Toxin

During a 5–wk period beginning in late November, 1987, 14 humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, died in Cape Cod Bay after eating Atlantic mackerel, Scomber scombrus, containing saxitoxin (STX), a dinoflagellate neurotoxin responsible for paralytic shellfish poisoning in humans. We propose a line...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
Main Authors: Geraci, Joseph R., Anderson, Donald M., Timperi, Ralph J., St. Aubin, David J., Early, Gregory A., Prescott, John H., Mayo, Charles A.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1989
Subjects:
Megaptera novaeangliae
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f89-238
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f89-238
Description
Summary:During a 5–wk period beginning in late November, 1987, 14 humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, died in Cape Cod Bay after eating Atlantic mackerel, Scomber scombrus, containing saxitoxin (STX), a dinoflagellate neurotoxin responsible for paralytic shellfish poisoning in humans. We propose a line of evidence to explain how whales, by virtue of their diving adaptations, may be particularly vulnerable to this systemic neurotoxin. Absence of STX in New England waters and shellfish during the episode suggests that the mackerel, representing the northern stock which spawns in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, accumulated the toxin there and delivered it to the Gulf of Maine and Cape Cod Bay in the fall of 1987. These findings challenge common perceptions of the manner in which planktonic toxins move through the food chain, and offer new insights into natural mortality and standings of marine mammals. It seems appropriate to search for STX and other phytotoxins when investigating marine mammal mortalities.

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