Gulf sperm whales may be most polluted in the world

By Dennis Pillion | dpillion@al.com
on August 06, 2013 at 1:19 PM, updated August 06, 2013 at 1:21 PM

PENSACOLA, Florida -- Researchers with Ocean Alliance are finishing up the third year of a field study of sperm whales in the Gulf of Mexico and the group says preliminary findings indicate that sperm whales in the Gulf are showing significantly higher levels of heavy metals, including nickel and chromium, than sperm whales in other parts of the world.

The research team, a collaborative effort between Ocean Alliance and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, has been studying Gulf sperm whales by using a biopsy dart to collect a small skin and blubber sample from the animals. The cells are cultured on board the 93-foot Odyssey research vessel for further tests.

"The cautionary signs are really suggesting to us that these may be some of the most polluted whales we've found in the world," Ocean Alliance CEO Iain Kerr said in a press conference at the Palafox Pier in Pensacola. 

See rest of the story at http://blog.al.com/gulf-coast/2013/08/ocean_alliance_gulf_sperm_whal.html#incart_river