Tag: fin whale

Stranded fin whale becomes ‘icy monument’ outside Anchorage

The frozen carcass of the 47-foot fin whale has become a major attraction since the mammal washed ashore last weekend.

A 47-foot fin whale that washed ashore near downtown Anchorage last weekend has become what one naturalist described as an ‘icy monument.”

Emma Luck, an Alaska-based researcher and naturalist, shared several images of the frozen whale carcass via Instagram on Saturday, along with the description:

“Whale strandings are not unusual in Alaska—but fin whales are rare in upper Cook Inlet, and winter strandings of any baleen whales in this region are also uncommon.

“When I heard this beautiful whale had been found, I was intrigued—how unusual! But I did not give it much thought beyond that. The tide would take her way soon.

“It did not. Instead, she froze solid. She has become an icy monument near downtown Anchorage, and the city residents have made the trek out to the frozen mud flats to view her, myself included.”

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On Friday, the Anchorage Daily News reported that scientists did not know how the young female whale died, but skin samples and organs have been collected.

It was unclear how long the carcass will remain on the tidal flats, within view of downtown.

“In the meantime, the carcass has become a local attraction, drawing hundreds of people a day to the frosty mudflats,” the Daily News reported. “Social media has been filled with posts about the rare, unique, moving experience of a school bus-sized creature washed up so close to town that it can be touched and photographed.”

Barbara Mahoney, a NOAA biologist, told the Daily News that, for now, no attempts will be made to move the carcass. “We’re going to leave it to nature,” she said.

Luck continued: “Some people may look at the photos of the crowds by the whale and find it unbecoming. I can understand why, though I don’t necessarily view it that way. We may live in Alaska, but very few of us will have ever seen a fin whale (or any whale at all!) up close and personal.

“Indeed, even I have not seen a stranded whale like this before! Many people brought along their young children to see the whale, answering all of their questions, explaining how whales work, and pointing out what the different body parts do. A classroom of sorts.

“I have no doubt one of these kids will likely walk away and become a biologist because of this experience.”

Shark tagger ditches sinking whale but finds ‘giant visitor’ off L.A.

Keith Poe had hoped a dead fin whale being towed offshore would produce sharks, but the whale sank prematurely in nearshore waters.

Last Sunday morning, as L.A. County lifeguards planned to tow a 51-foot fin whale carcass 20-plus miles offshore, Keith Poe was in intercept mode.

Poe, who tags and photographs great white sharks for scientific research, had hoped to be on site when the carcass was cut loose because dead whales usually attract sharks.

But the mission went awry.

The 60,000-pound whale carcass, which was prepared in a manner to facilitate sinking after it was safely offshore, began to sink soon after it was dragged off Torrance Beach, where the subadult whale had stranded and died late Saturday.

Photo: Keith Poe

This created insurmountable drag on the boat, so lifeguards left the carcass only 2.5 miles offshore. It sank at a depth of 535 feet, Poe told FTW Outdoors.

Poe, giving up on the sinking carcass, ventured into the offshore pelagic zone, midway between the Palos Verdes Peninsula and Santa Catalina Island.

“When the whale sank I just went offshore to chum for mako sharks,” Poe said. “And then that girl showed up.”

Photo: Keith Poe

“That girl” is the fully grown great white shark featured in the accompanying images, which Poe captured during the 30 minutes he spent alongside the apex predator.

Poe estimated the shark to measure 16 to 18 feet. He captioned his Facebook post: “Giant visitor from yesterday. SoCal.”

The images were inspected by the Marine Conservation Science Institute and the shark was not in its photo ID database for California white sharks. Poe told FTW Outdoors that the shark is now in the database with the name Catalina.

Photo: Keith Poe

Poe said he did not tag the shark because of a permitting issue.

While it’s not rare for adult great white sharks to cruise the San Pedro Channel, many Southern California residents might not be aware that such large sharks exist in the region.

As for the malnourished fin whale, it washed ashore with no obvious trauma or visible evidence of a ship strike. It died roughly two hours later.

The Pacific Marine Mammal Center stated Tuesday via Instagram:

“While large whale strandings are heartbreaking, we are very thankful we had the opportunity to collect samples and photo document this animal to try to help determine cause of death.

“These findings will help us better understand threats to this endangered species and by sharing this information with policymakers we can be champions to their road of recovery.”

Several agencies and groups, including NOAA, collaborated on the beached whale operation.

Large whale killed by destroyer becomes feast for blue sharks

One of two fin whales struck and killed by an Australian destroyer last week off San Diego has become a feast for blue sharks.

One of two fin whales struck and killed by an Australian destroyer last week off San Diego has become a feast for blue sharks.

The accompanying graphic images and video, captured by Delaney Trowbridge of Pacific Offshore Expeditions, show sharks and gulls feeding on the whale carcass Thursday near San Clemente Island.

The fin whales, measuring 65 and 25 feet, were discovered lodged to the hull of the Australian Royal Navy vessel after it had pulled into San Diego last Saturday.

The 481-foot HMAS Sydney, a guided missile destroyer, had been conducting joint exercises with the U.S. Navy when it struck both whales at an unknown offshore location.

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The larger whale was subsequently towed offshore; the smaller calf or juvenile was destined for a landfill.

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“Obviously, so many people were upset that they killed it, but in my opinion it’s just a terrible accident,” Trowbridge told For The Win Outdoors. “But I hope those people can find some solace in the fact that the body is in the ocean contributing to the ecosystem. It’s not a wasted life by any means.”

Ship strikes are a leading cause of death for large whales and occasionally the mammals become lodged against the bows of enormous ships.

“Often times, [crews] don’t know until they come in and stop,” Justin Viezbicke, coordinator of NOAA’s California Marine Mammal Stranding Network, told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “That’s when the whale falls off and floats out.”

The incident remains under investigation by both military agencies and NOAA Fisheries, which collected samples in an attempt to determine, among other things, if they were mother and calf.

The Royal Australian Navy, in a statement, said it “takes marine mammal safety seriously and is disheartened this incident occurred.”

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Ryan Lawler, owner of Pacific Offshore Expeditions, told For The Win Outdoors that at least 12 blue sharks were feeding on the carcass Thursday as it floated 10 miles east of San Clemente Island.

Said Trowbridge: “We just saw this mass on the horizon, initially thought it was a boat or thought it was debris. Ryan got close enough to inspect it with binoculars and realized it was the whale.

“Then when we got up to it, we noticed the tow rope attached to the tail and that confirmed it was the same one killed by that Australian Navy boat from San Diego.”

Trowbridge shared more sentiments via Instagram:

“Most of you have probably heard the news that a pair of Fin Whales was recently struck and killed by an Australian Navy vessel in San Diego. Even in the vastness of the ocean, the wrong paths can still cross… resulting in terrible accidents like this one.

“While it’s sad to consider the context, at the very least this whale’s body has been returned to the sea where she belongs. She’ll now feed hundreds, if not thousands, of other marine species and return to the ecosystem.”