37-foot Dead Gray whale found off Camano Island, Washington *UPDATE* golf ball

Monday, April 23, 2012

CAMANO ISLAND, Wash. —

Scientists are looking into what caused the death of a gray whale that was found floating near Camano Island State Park.

Chopper 7 was over the scene Monday morning as crews tagged the whale, preparing to pull it to shore.

A necropsy will be performed at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island to determine how the whale died.

                             Carcass of dead gray whale

KIRO 7 Eyewitness News has a crew covering this story for the 5 p.m. newscast.

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Dead whale found off Camano Island towed to Whidbey Island

Scientists are determining what killed a gray whale that was found floating near Camano Island over the weekend.

According to Orca Network’s Facebook page, the gray whale was found floating off Camano Island State Park early Sunday morning.

“Though the whale does have a large white patch on it, from the photos & conversations with Cascadia Research, this does NOT appear to be Patch,” said Orca Network.

Later Sunday evening, Deception Pass Tours helped scientists tow the dead gray whale to Polnell Point on NAS Whidbey on Whidbey Island, where scientists are conducting a necropsy.

Credit: skyKING by KING 5 NewsA handful of biologists were on scene taking samples to determine how the whale died. Scientists said it is not uncommon for gray whales to die during their annual migration back to the arctic.

On Monday, three gray whales were spotted swimming in Puget Sound between Whidbey and Camano Islands.

 king5.com

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Dead gray whale towed to NAS Whidbey for examination

Justin Burnett / Whidbey News-Times Jessie Huggins, Standing Coordinator with Cascadia Research, works on top of a dead gray whale found in Saratoga Passage Sunday. The whale was necropsied Monday by researchers with several groups.

By JUSTIN BURNETT

Whidbey News Times Staff reporter

April 23, 2012

A dead gray whale that was found floating in Saratoga Passage Sunday was necropsied on a beach on Whidbey Island Naval Air Station today.

According to Susan Berta, co-founder of the Orca Network, the whale was spotted by citizens in the early morning hours just north of Camano Island State Park. The whale remained in the same position for most of the day and was towed that evening to a beach off Polnell Point by Deception Pass Tours in Oak Harbor.

Several groups, including Cascadia Research, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Central Puget Sound Marine Mammals Stranding Network spent most of Monday necropsying the whale.

At 37 feet long, it has been identified as a male aged six to seven years old and weighing in at about 30 tons. At the time of the necropsy, the whale’s identity and where it hails from were unknown.

Researchers were also unable to say how the animal died as there were no visible indications of trauma or health problems.

Matt Klope, a volunteer with the standing network and biologist who does work for the Navy, said determining how the animal died is one of the main goals of the necropsy.

“Basically, it’s to look for a cause of death,” Klope said.

But samples of the whale’s skin and blubber, organs and blood will also be taken. Researchers will look for signs of disease and try to determine the general health of the animal before it died.

The corpse can also yield important research data about the environment the whale lived in, as biological samples will show the presence of heavy metals or any other toxins in the ocean, said Jessie Huggins, Standing Coordinator with Cascadia Research.

“It sheds light on the overall ecosystems health,” Huggins said.

While the whale’s early demise is unfortunate, the research data its remains leave behind is extremely valuable, especially because it can provide information that it otherwise very difficult to get.

“These kinds of questions can’t be answered with live whales,” Huggins said.

According to Berta, the whale’s skeleton is to be cleaned over the next few days and then donated to the Smithsonian Institution. It’s not yet clear where it will go on display.

whidbeynewstimes.com

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 …gray whale found dead in Puget Sound had been feeding on shrimp and also had some debris, including a golf ball, in its stomach, but scientists don’t know what killed the animal.

The stomach examination Monday found the shrimp, woody debris, algae, pieces of rope and plastic, the golf ball and some flat spongy material, NOAA Fisheries said.

The garbage was minimal and not the cause of death …

seattle.cbslocal.com

       This photo provided by Cascadia Research, biologists and volunteers examine a dead gray whale on April 23, 2012 at Camano Island, Wash. The initial exam found no trauma or obvious cause of death. The whale had swallowed some debris, including a golf ball, but it wasnít enough to kill the 37-foot male.

The garbage was minimal and not the cause of death, which remains under investigation with tissue tests, said spokesman Brian Gorman. It’s common for whales to pick up debris near urban areas because they are filter feeders. There were no signs of trauma or entanglement on the whale, he said. (AP Photo/Cascadia Research)

  stltoday.com