No one could recall the last time a whale was found dead in the Estuary.
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Researchers have been unable so far to determine what kind of whale it is or even how big it is, Viezbicke said.
As KRON 4 reports, yesterday morning the National Marine Fisheries Service reported sightings of a dead whale, its body afloat in the Oakland Estuary.
It is believed that the animal sunk as it neared Alameda on Monday but it resurfaced later as it decomposed.
According to Aulners, crew members were not able to realize that they had dragged the mammal through the Golden Gate.
The whale was towed to an undisclosed location, where scientists plan to perform a necropsy Friday to determine the cause of death, Marine Mammal Center officials.
“Every whale stranding is an important opportunity to learn more about these creatures and how we can prevent future deaths”, says Dr. Frances Gulland, senior scientist at the Marine Mammal Center.
Earlier this year, the center responded to six stranded whales off Northern California coasts. To discover a dead whale so deep in the Bay is highly unusual according to the Coast Guard.
Gulland said that ship strikes would become a growing problem with the increase in worldwide shipping. “Locally, we must identify a solution that both works for shipping companies and keeps whales safe”. There are concerns that the carcass could interrupt the flow of Port of Oakland traffic.
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Whether the ship struck and killed the animal, or came across it after it died, was not immediately known.
