Blue Whale Washes Ashore In Northern California

SAN FRANCISCO — A 70-foot, female blue whale that officials believe was struck by a ship has washed ashore on the Northern California coast in what scientists are calling a rare occurrence.

The whale was first spotted on shore near Fort Bragg in Mendocino County on Monday night, hours after an ocean survey vessel reported hitting a whale a few miles away, said Joe Cordaro, a wildlife biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's marine fisheries service.

Blue whales are the world's largest mammals.

Students from California State University, Humboldt, examined the whale's massive body Tuesday as it lay on its side in a rocky cove.

"I was personally jazzed just to see the animal," said Thor Holmes, a lecturer in mammology at the school. He has examined other whale species that washed ashore but never a blue whale.

The whale had two gashes on its back – at least one of which was deep enough to cut through the blubber down to the vertebral column, Holmes said. It otherwise appeared to be in good health.

It's unusual for blue whales to wash ashore, Cordaro said. Last week, another blue whale washed up in Monterey County after being hit by a ship.

Before that, the last time a blue whale washed onto a California beach was 2007.

The whales are "usually far offshore, deep water animals," Cordaro said.

Although blue whales are considered endangered, experts say they have recently made a comeback and now number several thousand.

Some blue whales feed in the waters off Central and Northern California this time of year then migrate elsewhere to breed, said Dawn Goley, an associate professor of zoology at the Humboldt campus.

Researchers have taken skin and blubber samples from the beached animal to see what contaminants it may have been exposed to and what population group it comes from.

Comments

[ellocoliberal]

How fun to sit back and watch the beautiful parts of the earth all die- the wildlife and wildlands are to me the only real valuable parts of life, with the exceptions of some family and friends.

Quoting Tom Waits: "The earth died screaming".

[mathme]

"the wildlife and wildlands are to me the only real valuable parts of life, with the exceptions of some family and friends."

Aww, what a lovely attitude you have. I was just thinking about how I didn't value people I couldn't see, too.

[KindOne]

Isn't the Navy using/testing some loud weapon off the California coast?

Scientists said it could blow out whales' ear drums. If that happens they are not going to be able to hear so they would not be able to detect ships and then get hit by them. I do think this was predicted.

[dayala]

how sad and unfortunate.

[morris111]

Modern cargo/tanker ship types do not have onboard sonar. They do have radar, but it's highly doubtful that whales would offer enough of a radar cross section to elicit a return.
The only way a whale would be detected is by visual means. This would prove particularly difficult, if not impossible at night.

Even if a whale is sighted, the ships are not maneuverable enough, nor are they capable of stopping in a short enough distance to avoid collision. I seriously doubt that a ship would actually make an attempt to avoid collision. They are, after all, on a tight schedule. If a whale is unfortunate enough to get in the way, sorry. Kinda like those rabbits, dogs, cats, etc., that run out in front of your car and become flat rabbits, dogs, cats, etc.

[afgail]

You would think the whale would have been able to detect the ship and avoid it unless it was confused and/or curious and got too close.

[KindOne]

I heard the Navy was using/testing their super loud something or other secret weapon off the California coast even though 'scientists' said it might blow out whales' ear drums so they would not be able to detect ships and then get hit by them.

Those annoying scientists and their pesky conspiracy theories, I mean who could have predicted this?

Now there will be lots of media cover up so the military can keep getting it's way. No population or life can ever get in the way of 'national' security, no matter how much life or quality of life 'national security' destroys. We just can't talk about it, that would be like negotiating with terrorists.

[onalimb]

Sad about the whale but wondering why they are getting hit by ships?
There is something baffling about a ship hitting such a large creature.
Auto piolot or something - not watching the radar - whats up?

[natturnerx]

i heard a report a while back that the navy has some type of submarine-detecting sonar that is interfering with the low frequency sound waves that whales generate to navigate themselves thru dark water.

[SvrWx]

Well...Radar can't pick up a creature in the water. And most of those ships don't have Sonar so they wouldn't be able to see the whale.

[natturnerx]

hey guys, lets start a preposterous internet rumor about the meat from the blue whale being donated to soup kitchens & homeless shelters, & see how far it circulates.

[KindOne]

Canned on site and shipped to Japan.

The real issue is why the whale couldn't hear anymore. I bet is has something to do with a new Navy war toy, it is to loud. People said this was going to happen.

[burtmckinly]

Here's one compelling way to removed a large beached whale: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpqnMtWXJ6Y

[morris111]

Captain Bush was steering the ship, VP Cheney was the navigator, and the ship had an all Republican crew. Those whales didn't have a chance!

[Please-Play-Fair]

Just had to make it political ...

[morris111]

Why is the moderator CENSORING my comments about Captain Bush, etc??????

[Please-Play-Fair]

because you are a nub

[KindOne]

Because CENSORING is what they are all about.

[morris111]

George Bush was steering the ship, Dick Cheney was the navigator, and the ship had an all Republican crew. Those whales didn't have a chance!

[Please-Play-Fair]

still a nub

[mathme]

This was the awesome comment you were complaining about not getting through?

[TJCole]

Don't these ships have radar or, they just don't care...?

Foreign ships I hope...two blue whales in a week, that is just unacceptable..!

[Forester]

Anchovy populations have crashed while krill is booming off the west coast. This is causing impacts and opportunities for many marine mammal and avian species. Blue whales may be trending to shallower waters for the krill as well as to expand their growing range due to increased populations. Ship traffic channels and whale feeding incidents may in fact be showing that this species is recovering - which is a good thing. I know as a sailor, the last thing you want to do is run into or be stoved in by a whale, so it would certainly make sense for all vessels to avoid collisions. Of course radar won't help much with a submerged critter.

[TJCole]

These aren't submerged enough and there is Sonar for those submerged..

Thanks for the info though I know you're right I've heard something about some of that myself and watch all those nature shows covering this..and anything else for that matter...

[butifulcrazyworld]

It makes sense and I'm glad their population is rebounding, but I guess it's time for some new technology to detect whales and other marine life.....is there any genius around that can figure this out? The whales need really need this ......and so do we.

[yannb]

Oh *foreign* ships, naturally. Because the good American ships would never hurt an animal. NE-VER.

[TJCole]

No I know they have, but I'd hate to think American Captains would hit these magnificent creatures...

We know how some others Japanese and Chinese, Malaysians, Indonesians feel about it...

In Florida sports fisherman, have been shooting and even using grenades against Dolphins..

[beyobi]

NOAA- National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration. US Government ship.
Avoidance works both ways. Whales when feeding aren't really paying all that much attention to where they are going. NOAA studies ocean life and every effort is made to avoid such sad encounters.

[KindOne]

Maybe their hearing was damaged.

[SaintZak]

I think it was just Megan McCain sunbathing.

[johnsopinion]

These magnificent creatures are washing up to tell
us something.

"YOU'RE KILLING US! WHY?"

[Forester]

The article clearly says that this whale and another one further south were hit by ships. It also states that populations are increasing and this whale appeared healthy otherwise. I think they are saying

"We are recovering but the ship traffic is killing us out here"

[Please-Play-Fair]

as are the Orcas.

[HillaryismyHomegirl]

"I was personally jazzed just to see the animal," said Thor Holmes, a lecturer in mammology at the school."

I am never "jazzed" to see a magnificent animal dead. Is it common for ships to hit sea animals?

[not stimpy]

"The whale had two gashes on its back – at least one of which was deep enough to cut through the blubber down to the vertebral column, Holmes said. It otherwise appeared to be in good health."

"Good health", as in not dead.

Whales often beach themselves when they are not well.

[KindOne]

Do you take tissue samples from a huge, live, severely injured animal? I don't think so.

[Montana 123]

I was thinking the same thing. Saddened.

[blueskybigstar]

This is the condor's natural food. Whales have been so reduced since whaling that there are a lot less that wash up when they d i e. Condors have thus almost have gone extinct. High speed ships and the fact that the military is releasing massive amounts of sonic energy off the coast of CA are not helping the whales rebound.

[Lagunatic]

Oh yes, the condor, a desert-dwelling bird, used to feed almost exclusively on dead blue whales.

[Forester]

The Ca Condor's range included coastal range, and survived on the carrion of large land and sea mammals since the Pleistocene. Many of the more recent carrion sources such as elk and bison and extensive populations of marine mammals along the coast were pretty much wiped out starting tn the 18th century. Whales were certainly an important carrion source for these and many other endemic scavengers in western north america. I have always felt the money spent to "save" this species could have been spent much more effectively on other better adapted species - but that is another story.