Wild animal mortality investigation : southern resident killer whale L-112 : final report. : Southern resident killer whale L-112.

• Main Authors: Duffield, Debbie, Gaydos, Joseph K., Raverty, Stephen A., Wilkinson, Kristin Marie, Norberg, Brent, Barre, Lynne M., Hanson, M. Bradley, Foreman, Peggy, Traxler, Amy, Lambourn, Deanna M., Huggins, Jessie, Calambokidis, John, 1954-, McKlveen, Tori, Dennison, Sophie, Brubaker, Hans W.
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Northwest Fisheries Science Center 2016
• Subjects: Killer whale > Mortality > Washington State > Pacific Coast.; Pacific; Long Beach; Chandler; Killer Whale; Orca; Orcinus orca; Killer whale
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.7289/v5/tm-nwfsc-133; https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/12603

The Northern Oregon/Southern Washington Marine Mammal Stranding Network received a report of a stranded female juvenile killer whale (Orcinus orca) at 07:00 on 11 February 2012, 0.9 miles (1.4 km) north of Cranberry Road, Long Beach, Washington (lat 46.41°N, long 124.06°W). Keith Chandler of Seaside Aquarium, Seaside, Oregon, responded and collected Level A data, including photographs (Figures 1 and 2). He also had the animal moved (Figure 3) to a secure area in Cape Disappointment State Park, both to protect the carcass from vandalism and to provide a suitable site for the necropsy. The whale was subsequently identified as Southern Resident killer whale L-112, based on photographs of the dorsal fin and saddle patch that biologists from the National Marine Fisheries Service (Seattle, Washington) and the Center for Whale Research (Friday Harbor, Washington) matched to catalogs of known killer whales. To fully investigate the stranding of L-112, a member of the endangered Southern Resident killer whale population, a multidisciplinary team conducted a gross examination and full necropsy, including a suite of diagnostic tests. In addition, the team evaluated information on the sighting history of L-112 and environmental factors prior to the time of the stranding, to identify the geographic area and timing of mortality. This report compiles all available information on L-112, the gross and histopathologic findings, and additional test results, to inform our assessment of pathologic factors contributing to the whale’s death. We also examine the context of the stranding, including both environmental factors and human activities, to assess the potential cause of death.