Periodic Reporting for period 1 - DAG (Demise of the Atlantic Grey Whale)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2021-09-01 al 2023-08-31
A total of 719 probable whale bone samples were collected from the countries of Norway, Sweden, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal, England, and Wales. A citizen science component was set up as part of which I requested that samples be contributed for the project. In return I shared the eventual results with the contributors and gave a talk about the project to them (see Output 1).
With the bone samples gradually coming in, I began collagen (protein) extraction which facilitated the next steps of the research. The collagen extraction was undertaken at the National Laboratory for Age Determination, Norwegian University of Science and Technology. I was taught how to undertake collagen extraction by Dr Marie-Josée Nadeau and her team.The following step was to take the extracted collagen to the University of Cambridge. Under supervision of Professor Matthew Collins and his team, I was taught how to perform Zooarchaeology by Mass-Spectrometry on the 719 samples. This allowed for taxonomic identification of the specimens; 110 turned out to represent the grey whale, which the project is concerned with. This shows that the grey whale was once widespread, especially targeted and probably abundant in the southern North Sea area. During the project I published two ZooMS results papers (Papers 1 and 2). This work also led to multiple other dissemination opportunities.
We undertook radiocarbon dating as well and these results show the youngest grey whale specimens from European contexts date to the thirteenth century CE. This aligns with when various medieval cultures were actively undertaking whaling in Europe, including the Basques, northern Spaniards, Normans, Flemish, and Scandinavians. We are currently working on a paper highlighting these findings.
Additionally, we are currently conducting stable isotope analysis on the collagen extracted from the whale bone specimens. This will allow us to potentially reconstruct the migration pattern of the grey whale and compare their foraging strategies with that of other large whale taxa identified as part of the project.
Lastly, during a secondment at the University of Copenhagen, under supervision of Dr Morten Tange Olsen, I participated in ancient DNA analysis of 40 identified grey whale specimens. This allowed me to learn the basics of this important methodology. Sequencing of the aDNA is still on-going. The results will reveal the demographic history of the last grey whale individuals present in the eastern North Atlantic before its complete extirpation.
Papers
(1) Hurk, Y. van den, Riddler, I., McGrath, K. and Speller, C., 2023. Active Whaling, Opportunistic Scavenging or Long-Distance Trading: Zooarchaeological, Palaeoproteomic, and Historical Analyses on Whale Exploitation and Bone Working in Anglo-Saxon Hamwic. Medieval Archaeology, 67(1), 137-158. https://doi.org/10.1080/00766097.2023.2204674
(2) Hurk, Y. van den, Sikström, F., Lehouck, A., Martínez Cedeira, J., Moreno, M., Nores, C., Riddler, I., Schmölcke, U., Speller, C., Pis Millán, J.A. Bleasdale, M., Borvon, A., Denham, S.D. Ephrem, B., Fernández-Rodríguez, C., Gibbs, H., Jonsson, L., Meng, S., Monge, R., Nabais, M., Segschneider, M., Vretemark, M., Wickler, S., Collins, M., Nadeau, M-J. and Barrett, J.H. 2023. Looking for a Whale in a Haystack: Utilizing Zooarchaeological Analysis and Collagen Mass-Peptide Fingerprinting to Reconstruct Ancient Whaling and Whale Populations. Royal Society Open Science. https://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.230741
With the ZooMS, stable isotope, and aDNA results of DAG, an improved understanding of the past range, migration patterns, foraging ecology, and population structure will be accomplished. This information is invaluable to modern conservation strategies protecting grey whales. It may potentially allow for them to reclaim their lost territories in the North Atlantic. As of yet, the grey whale is the only large whale species extirpated from an entire ocean. A successful return of the grey whale to the North Atlantic could send a powerful message to ongoing conservation efforts that with the right dedication we can counter past anthropogenic impact on animals and let them thrive once again.