Onto Pacifica Beach Dead Humpback Whale came floating

A dead humpback whale washed ashore on a Pacifica beach on Sunday, August 2, 2015.

It was the third whale to wash ashore in Pacifica this year.

Around 6:30 a.m. dispatchers were notified that a dead whale was in the 400 block of Esplanade Drive in an area commonly known as Pacific Manor Beach.

The city officials have been making arrangements to remove the dead whale.

Such injuries are consistent with blunt force trauma and could have been caused by a ship strike, according to center officials.

Although they only managed to do a partial necropsy, they came across an internal hemorrhaging on the left side of the whale, under its pectoral flipper.

Maria Brown, superintendent at Greater Farallones Nation Marine Sanctuary, said that impacts between whales and ships can be prevented, by collaborating with conservationist groups, alongside the maritime shipping industry. “At lower ship speeds whales are more likely to survive collisions”.

A necropsy was conducted on the two whales, but the results were inconclusive. A male sperm whale was found on April 14 together with an adult female humpback that was found on May 5. The Marine Mammal Center has only responded to 22 stranded humpback whales in its 40-year history.

Researchers plan to use the drone next winter to collect samples from the same whale species living near the Antarctic Peninsula, which is relatively pristine, it said. The bones will be available to researchers from around the world. The California Academy of Sciences archived several bones into the scientific collection.

Report sick and injured marine mammals to The Marine Mammal Center by calling 415-289-SEAL (7325).

Visit https://www.MarineMammalCenter.org/donate to help the Center perform its life-saving work.