Mystic Aquarium requests to resume research; whale improving

Officials at Mystic Aquarium are asking that they be allowed to resume research on four beluga whales, which was halted following the death of the fifth whale imported this spring from Canada.

The request is part of a three-page report made public Monday by the National Marine Fisheries Service detailing the Aug. 6 death of a male whale known as Havok.

The report was posted at the same time the aquarium issued a public statement that a female whale named Jetta, reported to be gravely ill last week, is improving and being watched closely.

“While it is too early to be optimistic, there have been incremental improvements in the whale’s white blood count, overall gastric health, appetite, and stabilization of her weight," said Stephen Coan, the aquarium's president and chief executive officer. "We are by no means out of the woods and we have a long way to go before we can say there has been a significant recovery.”

Coan said the aquarium has flown in experts from around the country to assist in the treatment of Jetta.

It is not yet known if Jetta's condition is related to those that caused the death of Havok, who was found, Coan said, to have gastric ulcers and other pre-existing problems, including a deformed heart. A cause of death has not been determined.

“As this was an isolated health event and in no way related to the research being conducted, we respectfully ask for permission to resume research sampling on the other animals listed on the permit to accomplish our important research goals,” Mystic said in its report to NMFS, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Jetta and Havok were a mong five whales imported in May from Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ontario to Mystic, which specializes in beluga research. The aquarium plans to study them and...