National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration spokesperson Michael Milstein said the preliminary investigation into the “unusual mortality event” indicates many of the cetaceans aren’t finding enough food when they travel to the Arctic each summer.
“Gray whales have one of the longest migrations known. They go up and down the West Coast twice a year, which is pretty phenomenal.
And they’ve got to pack on a lot of energy to be able to do that,” he said. “They’re not getting enough to eat.”
The first whale found this month, a sub-adult male gray whale, was recovered Jan. 11 in Winchester Bay and was slain by killer whales, according to Milstein.
Then on Jan. 14, the beaching of a 40,000-pound sperm whale at Fort Stevens State Park on the tip of Oregon’s coastline drew significant media attention. That whale was struck and killed by a propeller gash.
Scientists determined that a 12-foot-long newborn female gray whale, found Jan. 18 also at Fort Stevens, had just begun to nurse when it died.
The gray whale discovered Saturday near Cannon Beach had been dead for at least a month when it washed ashore, according to the staff at the Seaside Aquarium.
A sizable shark bite came after the whale had died, the staff said.
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