What can whale snot tell us? More than you might think
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In a piece as part of Call to Earth, CNN's Bijan Hosseini reports on how researchers from SeaLife Response, Rehabilitation and Research (SR3) are using specially equipped drones to monitor the health of whales in the Pacific Northwest. By collecting photographs, measurements, and whale blow samples, researchers are gaining valuable insights into the health of endangered whale populations and the wider marine ecosystem.
Holly Fearnbach, marine mammal research director at SR3, has spent nearly two decades studying Southern Resident killer whales in the Salish Sea, a Mission Blue Hope Spot supported by the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative. The research team uses drones to carry out non-invasive health assessments, allowing them to monitor individual whales without disturbing them. Fearnbach explains, “One of the strengths of our research is that it's completely non-invasive. We'd like to say we're giving them a health check without them even knowing that we're there.”
The team uses a technique called photogrammetry, the science of taking measurements from photographs, to assess the whale's size, nutritional condition and reproductive health. Researchers have documented a decline in the average body condition across most pods, with just 76 Southern Resident killer whales remaining. The findings help guide fishery management decisions, particularly around ensuring the whales have enough of their primary prey, Chinook salmon.
SR3 is also using drones to collect blow samples from Gray whales, which can provide further information about their overall health. When a whale surfaces to breathe, researchers fly a specially equipped drone through its blow, collecting droplets on a sterile plate before sending the samples to laboratories for analysis. Fearnbach explains, “When the whale comes up to the surface and breathes, we fly Chimo through the blow and we're able to collect the droplets on this sterile plate that you can see here. We'll just swab the inside of the plate and then we send it off to labs.”
The research comes as Gray whale numbers have fallen by more than 50% since 2015, with an ongoing mortality event prompting further investigation into the threats facing the population. Researchers hope that identifying new health markers or threats could help inform additional conservation measures, including restrictions on vessel traffic and protecting areas where whales forage.
Despite the challenges, there are some encouraging signs. Fearnbach says that this year has seen a slight improvement in body condition across the Southern Resident killer whale population for the first time. Looking to the future, she highlights the importance of protecting entire marine ecosystems, explaining, “We have to think of conservation of every part of the ecosystem to be able to support all the wildlife.”
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