Rare blue whale washes ashore after suspected ship collision

An endangered 24-metre blue whale has washed ashore in northern California with its blunt force injuries suggesting she may have been struck by a ship.

The sub-adult female was discovered off Marin County’s Agate Beach in Bolinas on Thursday.

While blubber and skin samples have been taken ahead of a full necropsy, Greater Farrallones National Marine Sanctuary spokesperson Mary Jane Schramm said she suspects the whale’s death resulted from a ship collision.

“We can't say for certain it was a ship, but there was sign of blunt force injury. All the ribs they examined were broken and that is consistent with a ship strike,” she told the Mercury News.

Given the whale’s body was mainly intact, researchers believe the untimely death may help them learn more about the rare blue whale.

“We rarely have the opportunity to examine blue whales due to their endangered status,” Barbie Halaska of The Marine Mammal Center said.

“The opportunity to perform a necropsy on a carcass in this good of condition will help contribute to our baseline data on the species.”