S. Oregon Coast Whale Confirmed to be Rare, Last Time Seen 50 Years Ago

Published 09/09/20 at 1:41 AM PDT
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Bandon, Oregon) – A Sei whale that stranded on a beach near Bandon this weekend has been confirmed as a truly rare sight on the Oregon coast: the group CoastWatch is reporting the last time it was seen on these shores was 50 years ago. (Photos courtesy Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department).

This unusual find turned into a sad story on Saturday, as the juvenile male initially showed up alive but died shortly afterwards.

Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) at first tentatively identified it as a Sei whale, which is known to inhabit colder waters far to the north and especially the North Atlantic. Scientists believe there are some off the waters of the U.S. but are uncertain how many.

It turned out to be one of the very few documented cases of a Sei whale on the Oregon coast.

Responding to the scene were Oregon State Police and Oregon State Park rangers, accompanied by science teams from Oregon State University, Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network, and representatives of the West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network and NOAA Fisheries

The Sei whale was 38 feet long and a juvenile male, not fully grown.

On Sunday, a necropsy was begun on the whale to determine cause of death and possibly why it came ashore. Scientists from OSU, World Vets and Sealife Response, Rehabilitation and Research conducted the work.

OPRD said it plans to bury the carcass in the sand. The agency reminds the public it is illegal to take anything off of a dead whale.

Sei whales are an endangered species, hunted to the edge by commercial whaling in the 19th and 20th centuries. NOAA Fisheries estimates there were 300,000 of the whales killed for their meat and oil. Commercial whaling of the Sei finally ended in 1980.

While whaling is no longer a threat to this whale, some scientific whaling is still done in Iceland and Japan, and strikes from vessels along with entanglement are major factors in their deaths at sea.

It’s estimated there are some 8,600 of them in the north Pacific, which is only 20 percent left of their original population in that area. More photos below:

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

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

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

 

LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles

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