Dead gray whale washes ashore at Marin Headlands beach
San Francisco Bay has seen a recent influx of gray whales since late March, including one that washed ashore dead on a Marin County beach over the weekend.
Since the whales started hanging out in the Bay, there have been multiple sightings and experts from the Marin Headlands-based Marine Mammal Center are advising boaters to be careful while out on the water because, while famously large, the animals are sometimes difficult to spot.
"While this number of gray whales in San Francisco Bay is exciting to see, it does raise concerns for both human and whale safety," says Kathi George, director of cetacean conservation biology at the center. "Gray whales are difficult to see due to their low profile and coloration patterns that naturally blend into the bay. It's important for all boaters to be extra vigilant and whale aware."
As for the dead whale, it was first spotted Saturday morning near Alcatraz Island. Personnel from the center and the California Academy of Sciences boated out to take tissue samples, photos and tag it with a buoy.
By Sunday, the whale had drifted under the Golden Gate Bridge, out of the bay and onto Black Sands Beach in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area on the Marin Headlands.
That's where a team of scientists was able to conduct a necropsy on the 36-foot whale Monday, according to Marine Mammal Center officials.
While it's still unclear what killed the animal -- the first dead whale found in the region this year -- it was found to be emaciated and was likely a "subadult" female.
There was no initial evidence of blunt force trauma from being hit by a boat, one of the top threats to gray whale safety.
Tests on the dead whale's tissue samples to determine its cause of death can take several weeks to conduct.
People can report dead, injured or stranded marine mammals in the San Francisco Bay Area by calling the California Academy of Sciences at (415) 379-5381 for dead animals or the Marine Mammal Center at (415) 289-7325 for live animals.
People can also download a whale alert app online.
