HUNT, KE; ROLLAND, RM; KRAUS, SD; WASSER, SK; Univ. of Washington; New England Aquarium; New England Aquarium; Univ. of Washington: Fecal Glucocorticoid Analysis as a Potential Tool for Investigating Physiological Stress in North Atlantic Right Whales (Eubalaena glacialis)

The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) is one of the most endangered of the great whales, with fewer than 400 individuals remaining. The species’ lack of recovery appears due to a combination of high mortality with decreased reproduction. Conservation efforts have been hampered by a lack of techniques for obtaining basic information on physiology, reproduction, and health of free-living great whales. We are investigating a noninvasive fecal glucocorticoid assay as a potential method for research on physiologic stress of free-living whales. Feces were collected from free-swimming, photo-identified North Atlantic right whales from 1999-2002. Diluted fecal extracts showed good parallelism and accuracy with a glucocorticoid radioimmunoassay. Fecal glucocorticoid concentrations were several-fold higher in a whale entangled in fishing gear as compared to unentangled whales, and were also high in a sample found near a second entangled whale. Unentangled adult males showed a significant correlation of fecal androgens with glucocorticoids, possibly related to this species’ apparent sperm-competition mating system. However, fecal glucocorticoid data may be affected by antibody cross-reactivity with high levels of fecal androgens in right whale feces. Such cross-reactivity effects may also occur in other species that have high fecal hormone concentrations. We are using HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) to identify and separate cross-reacting androgen metabolites. Fecal glucocorticoid analysis shows promise as a noninvasive method for assessing physiologic stress, and possible consequent effects on reproduction, in free-living North Atlantic right whales and other species.