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Confidence category | Definition |
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Definite strike | There is evidence that a strike occurred beyond a reasonable doubt. For example: |
Strike was witnessed by the vessel operator/crew or by the operator/crew of a nearby vessel |
or |
Strike was not witnessed but whale has massive blunt impact trauma (defined by disarticulated vertebrae or fractures of one or more heavy bones including skull, mandible, scapula, vertebra or adult rib, and a focal area of severe hemorrhaging) |
or |
Strike was not witnessed but carcass has apparent propeller wounds1 (i.e., deep parallel slashes or cuts into the blubber) on the dorsal aspect |
or |
Strike was not witnessed but carcass has propeller wounds on the ventral and/or lateral aspect which a necropsy confirms were produced ante mortem |
or |
Strike was not witnessed but carcass has an amputated appendage (e.g., fluke or flipper) which a necropsy confirms occurred ante mortem due to a sudden and traumatic laceration (versus an entanglement injury causing a slow, ischemic loss of the appendage) |
or |
Strike was not witnessed but evidence of a collision was found on the vessel (e.g., whale skin or tissue) |
or |
Whale was found on the bow of a ship |
……………………………………………………………… |
>Subcategory: Whale struck stationary vessel |
Vessel was stationary at the time of the collision (i.e., anchored or drifting) 2 |
|
Probable strike | The report is likely to be true; having more evidence for than against, but some |
evidence is lacking. For example: |
Vessel operator/crew or operator/crew of a nearby vessel believes that a strike |
occurred but cannot confirm the strike with absolute certainty |
or |
Strike was not witnessed, and the whale is a calf with smaller broken bones (e.g., |
ribs) that could have been fractured by another animal rather than by a vessel |
or |
Strike was not witnessed and the whale shows partial evidence of a collision other |
than as defined under definite strike. For example: |
(i) Whale has a focal area of severe hemorrhaging but no known broken bones; |
therefore, it is possible the trauma was caused by another animal rather than by a vessel; |
(ii) Carcass has propeller wounds on the ventral and/or lateral aspect; however, the necropsy is not able to determine if they were produced ante mortem |
|
Possible strike | The report may be true; however, a majority of evidence is lacking. For example: |
Vessel operator/crew or operator/crew of a nearby vessel believes that a strike may |
have occurred but there is significant uncertainty |
or |
Vessel operator/crew or operator/crew of a nearby vessel believes that a strike |
occurred, while the vessel operator/crew or operator/crew of a nearby vessel believes |
that a strike did not occur |
or |
Strike was not witnessed, and the whale shows partial evidence of a collision other |
than as defined under definite or probable strike, such as damage to an appendage or skin, but the necropsy is incomplete or there is no close examination of the whale (e.g., whale is viewed from a distance only) |
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Rejected report | The report is not credible. For example: |
Third-hand report |
or |
No credible eyewitnesses3 |
or |
Lacking sufficient detail or documentation to be credible |
or |
Necropsy determines an alternate cause of death |
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