BR-YEAR-Whale-Coroner

VICTORIA — Veterinary pathologist Stephen Raverty says answers about the recent deaths of three whales this fall in British Columbia waters could come out in early January.

Raverty says one of the whales showed injuries consistent with a collision with a vessel, but the investigation is ongoing.

He has been involved in the investigation of the a humpback believed to have been struck by a boat in late October near Vancouver, another that was thought to be hit by a B-C Ferry and the third humpback was found dead in November off Lasqueti Island.

Raverty has performed about 25-hundred necropsies on large marine mammals in last 25 years and says the job can take an emotional and physical toll.

However, he says he approaches the work with deep appreciation for the animals that are a “majestic” force of nature with great spiritual significance for First Nations in the Pacific Northwest.

Caitlin Birdsall, with the Marine Education and Research Society, says its unclear if whale deaths due to ship strikes are increasing, but they know there’s been an increase in reporting such collisions.