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Nord University<\/p>\nHelen BriggsEnvironment correspondent<\/p>\n
‘Blow’ samples, as well as skin biopsies, were collected and screened for infectious agents<\/p>\n
Whale breath collected by drones is giving clues to the health of wild humpbacks and other whales.<\/p>\n
Scientists flew drones equipped with special kit through the exhaled droplets, or “blows”, made when the giants come up to breathe through their blowholes.<\/p>\n
They detected a highly infectious virus linked to mass strandings of whales and dolphins worldwide.<\/p>\n
The sampling of whale “blow” is a “game-changer” for the health and well-being of whales, said Prof Terry Dawson of King’s College London.<\/p>\n
“It allows us to monitor pathogens in live whales without stress or harm, providing critical insights into diseases in rapidly changing Arctic ecosystems,” he said.<\/p>\n
The researchers used drones carrying sterile petri dishes to capture droplets from the exhaled breath of humpback, fin and sperm whales, combined with skin biopsies taken from boats.<\/p>\n
They confirmed for the first time that a potentially deadly whale virus, known as cetacean morbillivirus, is circulating above the Arctic Circle.<\/p>\n
The disease is highly contagious and spreads easily among dolphins, whales, and porpoises causing severe disease and mass deaths.<\/p>\n
It can jump between species and travel across oceans, posing a significant threat to marine mammals.<\/p>\n
The researchers hope this breakthrough will help spot deadly threats to ocean life early, before they start to spread.<\/p>\n
Nord University<\/p>\n
The researchers sampled humpback, sperm, and fin whales across the North-East Atlantic<\/p>\n
“Going forward, the priority is to continue using these methods for long-term surveillance, so we can understand how multiple emerging stressors will shape whale health in the coming years,” said Helena Costa of Nord University, Norway. <\/p>\n