Blue Whale Found On Marin Co. Beach Was Struck By Ship, Scientists Confirm

MARIN COUNTY, CA -- Preliminary findings of a necropsy conducted on a 79-foot blue whale found stranded late last week on Agate Beach in Bolinas have confirmed that the creature was struck by a ship and died of blunt force trauma, The Marine Mammal Center reported Tuesday.

A team of 25 scientists and volunteers from The Marine Mammal Center, California Academy of Sciences, UC Davis’ Oiled Wildlife Care Network, Point Blue and Oceanic Society came together Saturday to perform the necropsy onsite. They found that the adult female whale's injuries included multiple broken ribs, a badly fractured spine and trauma to its skull.

"These injuries are indicative of significant blunt force trauma that is consistent with ship strikes," said Laura Sherr, spokeswoman for The Marine Mammal Center.

RELATED COVERAGE: Massive Blue Whale Washes Ashore In Bolinas

The team confirmed the identity of the whale based on its unique fluke markings. She was first identified off California in 1999 and seen in at least 11 different years mostly in the Santa Barbara Channel area. She was seen with a calf approximately two to three years ago, confirming her adult status.

“Thanks to the identification of this particular animal from Cascadia Research’s database, we had an
extremely rare opportunity to understand more about the life of this individual,” said Dr. Claire
Simeone, Conservation Medicine Veterinarian at The Marine Mammal Center. “Having access to this
whale’s history helps us to better understand this endangered species as a whole.”

Scientists collected skin tissue and blubber samples for further testing, and expect to make a full necropsy report available within two weeks.

“It is a tragedy that this whale’s story ended due to vessel collision,” said Barbie Halaska, research scientist at
The Marine Mammal Center. “These types of examinations have enabled the scientific community to make
recommendations for slower shipping speeds and route changes, and hopefully that will help future whales.”

Ship strikes are a leading cause of whale mortality, along with entanglement in fishing gear, according to The Marine Mammal Center. When large vessels such as container ships are involved, the ship's crew may be unaware a strike has occurred. As such, the number of ship strikes to whales is likely under-reported. A collaboration of government agencies, academic institutions, nonprofit conservation groups and private-sector companies have developed Whale Alert, an app that helps reduce the chance of fatal ship strikes by large vessels. The app can be used by anyone out on the water to report concentrations of cetaceans.

The Center’s rescue department first received public reports of the stranded cetacean late Thursday evening.

The Center has previously responded to eight blue whales in its 42-year history including a 65-foot blue whale at Westmoor Beach in Daly City in October 2016.

Photos credit © Clive Beavis/The Marine Mammal Center