Stay Eat Events Weather Beaches

Latest Deceased Whale on Oregon Coast: Cause of Death Still Not Conclusive

Published 06/21/2019 at 5:53 PM PDT
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

Latest Deceased Whale on Oregon Coast: Cause of Death Still Not Conclusive

Latest Coastal Lodging News Alerts
In Seaside:
Includes exclusive listings; some specials in summer
In Cannon Beach:
Includes rentals not listed anywhere else
In Manzanita, Wheeler, Rockaway Beach:
Some specials for summer
In Pacific City, Oceanside:
Some specials for summer
In Lincoln City:
Some specials for summer
In Depoe Bay, Gleneden Beach:
Some specials for summer
In Newport:
Look for some specials
In Waldport
Some specials for summer
In Yachats, Florence
Some specials for summer

(Gearhart, Oregon) – Yet another deceased gray whale has washed ashore on the Oregon coast – this time in Gearhart, a week ago. (Photos courtesy Seaside Aquarium).

All the test results are not yet in after a week, according to Seaside Aquarium, so the cause of death is still a bit of a mystery after all this time. It is the sixth gray whale to come onshore this year that the aquarium’s group has dealt with, part of a spate of mysterious deaths across the west coast which seem to be pointing towards starvation as a cause.

The Seaside Aquarium and its staff are part of the Southern Washington Northern Oregon Standing Network, and thus attend to different kinds of sea mammals and fish that wind up on the beaches – dead or alive.

Tiffany Boothe with the aquarium said this one was 23 feet long – and like the rest – a female, landing at Sunset Beach which is just north of Gearhart.

“A necropsy was preformed but nothing too telling was found,” she said last week. “We were able to collect quite a few samples including heart, lung, and stomach content which, when processed, may reveal a little more information.”

Updating that information today, June 21, Boothe there was nothing remarkable found in its stomach, either. There had been some theories that consumption of plastics may be a factor in the starvation of the animals, but there have been no reports of large numbers of plastics in the bellies of any of the dead whales along the west coast.

In fact, Boothe reports no plastics were found in this case. The whale was on the thin side, however.

Crews were able to do a preliminary necropsy on the beach and rule out some causes of death.

“There was no human interaction,” Boothe said. “There was no sign of hemorrhage, no boat strike.”

The creature had been deceased for some time and was worse for the wear, though Boothe said she doesn’t notice the smell as much as others do.

“I’ve been dealing with so many bad smelling creatures this one didn’t seem so bad,” she said. “But it was pretty bad according to some bystanders.”

As of May, there had been some 60 deceased whales strand along the coasts of Washington, Oregon and California in the previous five months, a number which is alarming experts. According to NOAA, one factor that seems to be common among them is that they appear starved to various degrees. The prevailing theory – though not particularly strongly believed – is that the population of gray whales has expanded enough that food scarcity is now an issue for them.

Gray whales fully recovered from their slaughter by the whaling industry and were taken off the endangered list in 1994. More photos below:

Oregon Coast Hotels in this area - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours






Above: barnacles attach themselves to whales, and this one in Gearhart was no exception.

Below, other whale strandings attended to by Seaside Aquarium in the past:



More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging.....

More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining.....

 

Oregon Coast event or adventure you can't miss

 



Coastal Spotlight


LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles

Constant Killer Views at One Cannon Beach Legend: Oregon Coast Travel Tips
There's also deep history at this popular, luxury hotel. Cannon Beach hotel reviews, Cannon Beach lodging, Tolovana Inn
Pink Floyd on Oregon Coast? Pigs on the Wing Brings Visual, Sonic Punch to As...
At Astoria's Liberty Theatre this Saturday, September 30
UPDATE: Coast Guard Ends Search for Woman Swept Away at Rialto Beach, Washing...
Witnesses said she was sucked into the surf by heavy waves
Chonky, Orange Moon, Planets and Meteor Showers Coming: Washington / Oregon C...
Larger-than-usual full moon and some meteors coming later. Sciences
U.S. Travel Tips: Rugged, Remote to Chic at Tierra Del Mar on Oregon's North ...
From elegant to surfing, hiking, hang gliding. Pacific City hotels, Tillamook, Oceanside
Cannon Beach Hotels, Lodging, Motels - N. Oregon Coast
Updated weekly: hotels in Cannon Beach, Arch Cape, lodging, motels, inns, lodging deals
Oregon / Washington Coast Alerts: Flood Watch, First Big Waves of Season
Floods, lots of rain, high winds and some rather good storm watching, beach safety
Sea Lions Sick with Leptospirosis on Oregon Coast: Keep Pets, Yourselves Away
Stay clear of sick or dead sea lions. Marine sciences, beach safety

Back to Oregon Coast

Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net
All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted

Oregon Coast Lodging
Rentals
Specials

Dining

Events Calendar

Oregon Coast Weather

Travel News

Search for Oregon Coast Subjects, Articles

Virtual Tours, Maps
Deep Details