Whale Found In Marin Died From Collision With Ship: Scientists

MARIN COUNTY, CA – A blue whale found Monday on a beach at Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County died of blunt force trauma consistent with being struck by a ship, scientists with the Marine Mammal Center concluded.

The finding was made after scientists performed a necropsy, or animal autopsy, Tuesday on the 62-foot juvenile female whale a few miles south of Limantour Beach.

"Blue whales are the largest animal on earth and an endangered species, so to learn that this individual's death is a result of a ship strike is particularly unfortunate," said Barbie Halaska, a researcher at center.

Halaska said that understanding and documenting the scale of the injuries will help scientists and other decision-makers find ways to prevent similar whale deaths in the future.

The Marine Mammal Center collected tissue samples to contribute to various research studies and California Academy of Sciences archived the whale's pelvic, rib and scapula bones. The whale will be left at the necropsy site to decompose naturally, according to the center.

The Marine Mammal Center has responded to eight whale carcasses this year. Ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear are leading causes of whale deaths, according to the center.

The Marine Mammal Center, a nonprofit, encouraged the public to report sick and injured marine mammals by calling 415-289-SEAL (7325). People should maintain a safe distance of at least 50 feet from stranded marine mammals and keep dogs away, officials said.

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Photo: A team of nineteen scientists from The Marine Mammal Center, California Academy of Sciences, Point Reyes National Seashore and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) confirmed Tuesday that the 62-foot juvenile female blue whale carcass that washed ashore Monday a few miles south of Limantour Beach in Point R eyes National Seashore died due to blunt force trauma consistent with vessel collision. Photo Credit: The Marine Mammal Center