Mystery of dead Alaska whales grows

Bears feeding on a fin whale carcass in Larson Bay, Alaska, near Kodiak.

The agency said in a statement that the deaths are almost three times the historical average which the region has observed since past several years.

More intense investigation into the case of deaths of 30 large whales in the Western Gulf of Alaska since May has been announced by a federal agency.

Since May, thirty whales have been found dead for unknown reasons along the Alaska Coast causing the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration to declare it “unusual mortality event” on Thursday.

Since May 2015, 11 fin whales, 14 humpback whales, one gray whale, and four unidentified cetaceans have stranded around the islands of the western Gulf of Alaska and the southern shoreline of the Alaska Peninsula. Teri Rowles, NOAA Fisheries’ marine mammal health and stranding response coordinator, told reporters during a teleconference Thursday that large-scale whale deaths are among the toughest to investigate, partly because the carcasses often are floating, rarely beached and hard to access for examination.

It’s the first unusual mortality event for whales ever in Alaska, and just the third of any kind in the state.

“Members of the public can greatly assist the investigation by immediately reporting any sightings of dead whales or distressed live animals they discover”.

Whale carcasses washed up on shores also have their own dangers.

Scientists have been unable to determine what might be causing the mysterious whale deaths.

It could take months or years for the scientists working with NOAA to find some explanation for these deaths.

Although scientists don’t know the exact cause of the die-off, they do have some ideas.