Strawberry Isle Research Projects:
Cetacean Necropsies

A couple of times a year we are called on to do this work. Standard sets of measurements are taken along with photos, skin samples for DNA, blubber samples for toxicologies. The animal is also examined inside and out for injuries or abnormalities in an effort to establish the cause of death. The bones are recovered (when practical), cleaned and preserved for display or storage. The resultant data is forwarded to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and related (species dependent) study researchers.