A Toxic Mixture: PAHs And Salish Sea Killer Whales

Southern Resident killer whales (SRKWs) and Transient (Bigg's) killer whales roam the waters of the Salish Sea. Being sensitive to their environment, they serve as sentinels to the overall health of the ecosystem. On this episode, Kiah Lee, a graduate student at the University of Oslo, talks to us about research she did involving these two groups of killer whales and PAHs. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, are chemicals found in coal, oil, and gasoline which have known harmful impacts on marine mammals. Their presence in the ocean comes from several sources including oil spills, burning coal, and surprisingly, a large amount may be coming from forest fires. This study was the first to detect PAHs in orcas off of BC. Kiah will tell us all about PAHs, local sources, the implications and importance of these findings, and what we can do to help!