Decision made to euthanize whale seen at Emeryville Marina
Local experts with the Marine Mammal Center have decided to euthanize a juvenile minke whale at the Emeryville Marina.
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A juvenile minke whale stranded multiple times in the San Francisco Bay was euthanized due to its deteriorating health.The whale, rarely seen in the area, exhibited signs of severe sunburn, breathing difficulties and unusual behavior.This incident follows the recent discovery of three dead gray whales in the same area within a two-week period.
A rare juvenile minke whale that had repeatedly been seen stranded in the San Francisco Bay was euthanized Tuesday after officials determined the mammal had little chance for survival.
The stranded whale was spotted in an offshore mudflat in shallow water Tuesday, the third time within a week, Giancarlo Rulli, a spokesperson for the Marine County, California-based Marine Mammal Center, told USA TODAY Wednesday.
The whale was reportedly stuck about 40 feet offshore in the same area on Monday near the city of Emeryville, but it swam away on its own as a high tide came in, Rulli said.
But by Tuesday, the whale was considered to be in very poor health, with skin peeling and a reddish hue across its back due to severe sunburn and trouble breathing as it tried to navigate the waters, Rulli said. Rescue crews had sprayed the whale down, attempting to keep it hydrated, as experts tried figuring out why the mammal kept washing ashore.
“Our goal is to, within reason, give marine mammals a second chance to get back to their ocean home, but this whale was under increased stress levels and was just not being a healthy, vibrant whale,” Rulli said. “Based on the whale’s abnormal condition and abundant stress behavior, our teams made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize it.”
Rulli said minke whales are rare in the area, and the mammal center has spotted only five since 2009. The whale may have come into the San Francisco Bay looking for food, Rulli explained, but repeatedly being seen near shallow water wasn’t a good indicator.
A partial necropsy is planned for the whale, but the results won’t be known for several weeks, he said.
Additional whale deaths in the area raise concern
The minke whale’s death comes after three dead gray whales turned up in San Francisco Bay in less than two weeks, Rulli said.
One gray whale was discovered east of Angel Island State Park, located just north of San Francisco, on April 2. Another whale was found at a beach close to the San Francisco side of the Golden Gate Bridge two days later. This followed the sighting of an emaciated “subadult” female gray whale found dead offshore near Alcatraz Island late last month, Rulli said.
It’s unclear what killed the whales, the spokesperson noted. Necropsies show that two of the dead whales were in good condition, but one had six fractured vertebrae, likely due to being struck by a passing vessel.
Officials say they’re trying to reduce the threat of such strikes in the area. Kathi George, director of cetacean conservation biology at the Mammal Center, said in the past two weeks, multiple ferry operators in the Bay have reported taking actions to avoid whales. They include cutting their engines after spotting a gray whale to allow it to pass safely before resuming their routes.
George said it’s due to improved communication through the United States Coast Guard’s Vessel Traffic Service’s ongoing collaboration with San Francisco harbor safety officials, with getting the word out.
“There continues to be a significant number of gray whale sightings in San Francisco Bay as this species continues its northern migration to their arctic feeding grounds,” George said. “With the bay serving as a shared space for commerce and increasing whale activity, it’s vital that all boaters, from large commercial vessels to sailboats, be whale aware and if you see a blow, go slow.”
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