Mystic Aquarium Mystic Aquarium News

Kifaru Bwana said:
NAIBVolunteer, can you provide any scientific evidence for the existence of distinct and disjunct sub populations in the beluga across the Arctic waters from Greenland up to Okhotsk Sea, Bering Strait, Alaska and back up beyond? Various publications cite 29 sub populations, but how many of those are genetically distinct? Has any research been done to that effect.

BTW: mixing of subspecies - if any - has not just been reserved to beluga whales, it as also been self evident in other cat species. In itself that is not the end. However, I do agree that if evolutionary significant units exists these need to be maintained separately. From what I know about Hudson Bay beluga is that they are heavily loaded with pollutants ....
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NOAA regulates belugas accordingly and has determined there are five stocks of beluga whales all in Alaskan waters—the Beaufort Sea, Bristol Bay, Cook Inlet (endangered population which has declined by 80%), eastern Bering Sea, and eastern Chukchi Sea stocks. NOAA has determined that these groups are a distinct population segment.

"Under the Endangered Species Act, a distinct population segment—or DPS—is a vertebrate population or group of populations that is discrete from other populations of the species and significant in relation to the entire species." Glossary: Endangered Species Act

"The population of Sakhalin Bay-Nikolaya Bay-Amur River beluga whales, a stock in the eastern North Pacific off the coast of Russia, is estimated to be around 3,961 whales. In response to a petition, NOAA Fisheries conducted a status review of the stock and designated it as depleted under the MMPA in 2016." Beluga Whale That petition was the botched Georgia Aquarium beluga import permit.
 
Once more: Any scientific papers on beluga genetics? I would appreciate if someone could corroborate what has been said on definite distinct populations (just saying so, does not make it so and if it is the case elaborate and enlighten us) with scientific evidence to that effect, both in population biology and genetics? Thank you very much!
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Once more: Any scientific papers on beluga genetics? I would appreciate if someone could corroborate what has been said on definite distinct populations (just saying so, does not make it so and if it is the case elaborate and enlighten us) with scientific evidence to that effect, both in population biology and genetics? Thank you very much!
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Goodness. NOAA is a scientific agency so them just "saying so" obviously doesn't cut it for them. They rely on evidence with their own scientists and experts in the field. I'm sure you can manage some research on your own, considering I found this study in a couple minutes.

Migratory culture, population structure and stock identity in North Pacific beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas)
 
From reading the documents it seems clear that breeding would not be allowed for 5 years, the length of the permit. Whales may be transferred to Georgia Aquarium during this time, yet no other institution is involved. At the end of the permit disposition of the whales will be done in consultation with NOAA. It seems breeding is not disallowed after this time, although it may be added as a condition if the permit is not renewed.
 
nczoofan said:
From reading the documents it seems clear that breeding would not be allowed for 5 years, the length of the permit. Whales may be transferred to Georgia Aquarium during this time, yet no other institution is involved. At the end of the permit disposition of the whales will be done in consultation with NOAA. It seems breeding is not disallowed after this time, although it may be added as a condition if the permit is not renewed.
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I do hope your interpretation is correct! It would be a welcome genetic diversity, I do worry about long term effects of any contraception efforts. We have seen how that has not served the US polar bear population well in the long term!
 
NAIB Volunteer said:
Goodness. NOAA is a scientific agency so them just "saying so" obviously doesn't cut it for them. They rely on evidence with their own scientists and experts in the field. I'm sure you can manage some research on your own, considering I found this study in a couple minutes.

Migratory culture, population structure and stock identity in North Pacific beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas)
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Thank you very much and appreciated. This is exactly what I was looking for.

Personal note: a (very) few of the sample sizes are below the minimum (20+ sample sizes for a given population) to allow any conclusions to be drawn from. The majority however do indicate population structuring to the point that within the BCB several disjunct groups exist.
 
Does anyone know what species of Poison Dart Frogs are found in the Frogs exhibit? There were at least four or five unsigned species when I went this morning. Thanks!
 
Neil chace said:
Does anyone know what species of Poison Dart Frogs are found in the Frogs exhibit? There were at least four or five unsigned species when I went this morning. Thanks!
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Ameerega trivittata and Dendrobates tinctorius "azureus" I think are the only species I remember for sure are there.

~Thylo
 
Wow, they actually did it. Now question, when the permit expires in 2025, will the whales have to be deported back to Marineland or is the aquarium free to breed these animals afterwards?

Any word on Georgia receiving animals still?

~Thylo
 
ThylacineAlive said:
Wow, they actually did it. Now question, when the permit expires in 2025, will the whales have to be deported back to Marineland or is the aquarium free to breed these animals afterwards?

Any word on Georgia receiving animals still?

~Thylo
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They'll have to apply for a continuance in the permit which would in all likely be granted unless a condition of the permit was violated. I believe the permit also dictated that notice and approval would need to be provided to NOAA for any transfer to Georgia. There are numerous conditions for these five belugas which I could assume during a permit renewal they could add some changes such as breeding and transfer to other AZA facilities
 
NAIB Volunteer said:
They'll have to apply for a continuance in the permit which would in all likely be granted unless a condition of the permit was violated. I believe the permit also dictated that notice and approval would need to be provided to NOAA for any transfer to Georgia. There are numerous conditions for these five belugas which I could assume during a permit renewal they could add some changes such as breeding and transfer to other AZA facilities
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Thanks for the information! I do hope these animals can join the breeding population in due time. I wonder if contraceptives will be used in order to allow them to mix with the existing whales without breeding, but the pod size could still stimulate breeding among the existing animals.

~Thylo
 
ThylacineAlive said:
Thanks for the information! I do hope these animals can join the breeding population in due time. I wonder if contraceptives will be used in order to allow them to mix with the existing whales without breeding, but the pod size could still stimulate breeding among the existing animals.

~Thylo
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I really hope they do not use contraceptives. There plan they submitted to NOAA was to separate the Marineland females from any males during breeding season, no mention of contraception. Contraception is dangerous here I think, in my opinion, it is the use of contraception in polar bears that caused the population to be what it is now. Even after withdrawing contraception in the polar bears, the previous proven breeding females did not have success in future breeding. We can't risk that and have a sustainable beluga population in the US!
 
MidwestFan said:
I really hope they do not use contraceptives. There plan they submitted to NOAA was to separate the Marineland females from any males during breeding season, no mention of contraception. Contraception is dangerous here I think, in my opinion, it is the use of contraception in polar bears that caused the population to be what it is now. Even after withdrawing contraception in the polar bears, the previous proven breeding females did not have success in future breeding. We can't risk that and have a sustainable beluga population in the US!
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Contraception in cetaceans is quite a bit different than in polar bears. The most commonly used method is orally dosed regumate to the females, or a lupron injection to the males. Especially with regumate, is is very commonly used, easily reversible, and generally doesn't seem to cause any long term reproductive issues, even if its used for a number of years. Couple that with the fact belugas only cycle for a fairly short period of time every year, and mystic is well equipped to regulate breeding through pool design and social structure (they can easily split into two groups, the two males with their two older non-breeding cows, and the ML females together), I think their future breeding potential will remain intact.
 
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