The nearly 32ft hulking frame of a male humpback whale was found splayed on sands near California’s Fort Bragg on Saturday – the fourth whale to wash ashore along the coasts of Mendocino this year.
A day later, a young female humpback would also be found dead far north near Vancouver Island. She was known to scientists as “Spike”, after being first documented in 2018.
The whale deaths have sparked alarm among members of the public, as experts work to study the carcasses and determine how and why the giant migratory mammals wound up on these beaches. Though each death is a tragedy, they offer important clues and insight that enable scientists to better understand ocean conditions and rising risks.
As important components of the ocean ecosystem with ranges that extend thousands of miles, whales are often seen as indicators of ocean health. Unnatural deaths can serve as signals that something is amiss. Trauma from ship strikes is also often to blame for whale deaths.
But the mysteries aren’t always easy to solve, and the whale’s necropsy will take time.
As concerned onlookers gathered around the beach-bound body north of Pudding Creek Beach in California on Sunday, researchers and volunteers got to work collecting samples to determine its cause of death. Skin and blubber samples were taken, along with the whale’s pelvic bones, which will be taken to the California Academy of Sciences, and parts of the baleen, the sieve-like strands that enable whales to strain and filter their food.
“Nothing obvious points to ship strike at this time,” Sarah Grimes of the Noyo Center for Marine Science told the Mendocino Voice, even after a laceration was observed on the whale’s right side. Scientists will continue examining the carcass for broken bones and bruising.
Collisions with ships are a growing problem for whales, and they are among the top causes of death for the endangered creatures, who traverse the waters frequented by large cargo vessels.
“When ships travel quickly through these areas, there is a high risk of collision, injury and death, as whales are often unable to get out of the ship’s path in time,” the World Wildlife Federation says in an informational page on the issue. The rising toll even caused ecologists to liken them to ocean “roadkill” in a study published in 2019.
Hundreds of miles to the north, scientists were also working to interpret injuries on Spike’s body to analyze evidence of what might have killed the beloved whale. She had no apparent external injuries. Photos show her anchored in shallow water, distended from decay.
“We do not know what caused her death,” experts with the Marine Education and Research Society (Mers) said in a post on Instagram, but added that “ it will not be a surprise if it is found that she died from blunt force trauma resulting from being hit by a boat”.
The organization said that the images of Spike were shared to tell locals that action was under way and to also educate the public on whales and what to do when they wash ashore. “The tragedy might lead to more awareness, from who to call, to whatever conclusions can be made about the cause of her death,” the marine research society said. The investigation is being conducted by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Spike, named after a character in the animated classic The Land Before Time, had a dinosaur-like marking on her left side. She had been identified by Mers researchers, who track individual whales in the region to boost understanding of the awe-inspiring giants and encourage conservation.
“We get to feel the depths of emotion that result from knowing these whales as individuals,” Jackie Hildering, a Mers researcher, told Canada’s National Observer. But beyond the loss, she added, the important find will help engender interest from the public. Many whales who perish and sink into the depths won’t have their stories told.
“It’s important that people care about whales as individuals because that helps us evolve in understanding how our actions impact them as representatives of the ecosystem,” Hildering said. “Spike is an ambassador for her kind.”
