Researchers were working Tuesday to determine what killed a rare whale that washed up on the shores of the Oregon coast near Astoria this week, officials said.
Employees of Seaside Aquarium said the fin whale was found stranded at Sunset Beach State Park in Warrenton early Monday. A necropsy to determine the whale’s cause of death was still underway as of noon Tuesday, aquarium staff said.
This is the first fin whale to be stranded on the Oregon coast in at least 10 years, according to Michael Milstein, a spokesperson from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Last year, three fin whales were found dead on the West Coast, Milstein said.
Fin whales are the second largest whale species and get their name from the distinct fin near their tails, according to NOAA. The agency estimated a minimum fin whale population of 7,970 near the West Coast in 2018. The pre-whaling population of fin whales was between 42,000 and 45,000 in the North Pacific, according to NOAA reports.
In January last year, four dead whales washed up on Oregon beaches, including one sperm whale and three gray whales. Experts said it was consistent with a larger trend in declining gray whale populations on the West Coast and Alaska.
Beachgoers who stumble upon a stranded or beached whale are asked to stay roughly 100 yards away from the carcass for safety and research purposes, according to NOAA.
