Dead Whale Washes Ashore in Sonoma County

A dead whale washed ashore at Portuguese Beach in Sonoma County Sunday, a state park ranger said today.

It was one of several that have appeared on Bay Area beaches in recent months.

The 28-foot juvenile Gray whale appeared to have been dead for quite some time, California State Parks and Recreation Ranger Jeremy Stinson said.

A volunteer from the Marine Mammal Center took a tissue sample from the whale on Sunday, according to spokeswoman Yvette Koth. Koth said employees are already stretched thin responding to an oil spill in Santa Barbara and would likely begin investigating the whale’s death on Tuesday at the earliest.

State parks officials do not have plans to remove the whale carcass from the beach, Stinson said.

A 48-foot sperm whale was discovered on April 14 at Sharp Park Beach in Pacifica and on May 5, a 42-foot female humpback whale was found in the same area, according to city and police officials from Pacifica.

--Bay City News; Photo Courtesy Damien Jones, California State Parks

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