A dead humpback whale washed ashore on a Pacifica beach on Sunday, August 2, 2015. The young humpback whale was found in the region of Esplanade Beach at around 6:30 am on Sunday.
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Scientists from The Marine Mammal Center and The California Academy of Sciences arrived on the scene to perform a partial necropsy to try to determine cause of death and collect samples.
The center officials said these types of injuries are consistent and could be a result of a ship strike.
Back in April, the rotting carcass of a sperm whale was discovered on a beach in Mori Point, and in May, a humpback whale washed up on Sharp Park Beach in Pacifica.
“This will give us a new understanding of the relationship between whale body condition and health in the context of habitat quality”, said Michael Moore, director of the institute’s Marine Mammal Center.
In June, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration advised ships moving through shipping lanes near the Bay Area to slow down to avoid striking endangered blue, humpback and fin whales that had been spotted foraging in the area, according to the center.
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The scientists first deployed the 32-inch “hexacopter” drone in July to help assess the health of whales living in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, about 45 miles (72 km) east of Boston, where there is significant ship traffic and pollution, Woods Hole said in a release on Monday. “At lower ship speeds whales are more likely to survive collisions”.
