A humpback whale with a severe spinal injury used only its pectoral fins to swim 3,000 miles between British Columbia and Hawaii in what a researcher describes as a harrowing example of a collision with a ship.
Janie Wray, CEO and principal researcher for BC Whales, says this will likely be the last voyage for the whale known as Moon.
“She will pass away. There’s no way she’ll survive this and to be honest I hope she dies soon because I think she’s probably in a lot of pain and pain,” Janie Wray said.
Moon swam from British Columbia to Hawaii in less than eight weeks after a suspected impact left the whale with an S-shaped back.
Mme Wray hopes Moon’s story will alert boaters to the danger ship strikes pose to whales.
Janie Wray, who is also a co-founder of the North Coast Cetacean Society, says the organization’s drone spotted Moon passing the Fin Island research station on the north coast of British Columbia on 7 september. They immediately noticed that something was wrong.
They were immediately like, “Oh my god, what happened to that poor whale? » Mme Wray said they could see that from its dorsal fin to its tail it was curved in an S shape.
“So she literally uses her arms to move, but for her, it’s her pectoral fins. As far as we know, she doesn’t use her tail at all. »
Moon was spotted again off British Columbia on October 11 and then on October 1.er December by American researchers from the Pacific Whale Foundation off Maui, Hawaii.
According to Mme Wray, researchers believed Moon was rammed by a large ship, and the whale’s fate left her nearly speechless.
“I was in awe of her. The respect for her was enormous, but it also broke my heart because I recognize the will and the strength that pushed her to do this migration using only her pecs,” said Ms.me Wray.
Moon appeared thin and covered in whale lice, another indication of her poor condition, the expert explained.
Mme Wray says Moon embarked on what was probably a painful journey because of “his tradition, his culture.”
“She was most likely born in Hawaii and her mother would have migrated with her to the BC feeding ground when she was a calf and that tradition and knowledge was just passed down,” Ms.me Wray.
British Columbia researchers had been familiar with Moon for years before her injury, having spotted her in late fall on feeding grounds in northern British Columbia.
In 2020, Moon was observed with a calf on her side, Ms.me Wray.
BC Whales said in a statement that vessels of all sizes could pose a threat to whales.
Mme Wray said the movements of humpback whales are unpredictable compared to those of orcas, making it important that boaters learning to sail become familiar with their behavior.