MINKE WHALE WASHES ASHORE IN NOVA SCOTIA

Conservationists are hoping to determine what killed a minke whale that washed ashore in southern Nova Scotia, adding to a rising death toll for the inquisitive species. Amy Tudor of Mariner Cruises Whale and Seabird Tours says a fisherman who was out looking for buoys Friday came across the whale near Tiverton and notified her. She says she found the 7.5-metre whale on a rocky shoreline covered in slippery seaweed, but there were no clear signs of what may caused its death. Tudor says she took pictures of the adult female, along with samples of its baleen and muscle, to give to the Marine Animal Response Society. Andrew Reid of the conservation group says there have been about 30 minke deaths along the East Coast in mostly U.S. waters.