ANCHORAGE, Alaska — An endangered fin whale washed up near a coastal boardwalk in Alaska’s largest city has drawn curious onlookers and biologists are searching for answers as to what caused the animal’s death.
The carcass found near Anchorage last weekend was 14.3 meters (47 feet) long, about the width of a college basketball court, and was female, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration biologists.
NOAA biologist Barbara Mahoney, who is researching the whale, told the Anchorage Daily News that the whale was probably one to three years old.
According to NOAA Fisheries, right whales are the second largest whale species, reaching up to 25.9 meters in length when fully grown and weighing between 40 and 80 tons. Ship strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, underwater noise and the effects of climate change are among the threats facing right whales, according to the agency.
Mandy Keogh, NOAA marine mammal stranding coordinator, said right whales are not typically seen this close near Anchorage, and recent high tides may have pushed the animal farther into Knik Arm.
People trekked across the mud flats to see the whales, which allowed NOAA biologists and Alaska Veterinary Pathology Service staff to dock offshore Sunday to collect samples from the animals. But even after analyzing the samples, it may be difficult to determine the cause of death because there was no decomposition or obvious injuries, Keogh said.
Daisy Grandlinard was one of the parents who accompanied a group of children to see the whales on Monday. As she got closer, she said, she could smell it.
“It was really interesting that there was a track on the bottom, almost like a sled, so the kids could feel it and touch the bottom. And just seeing the size of it was really cool,” she said. “We had already studied the whale a few weeks ago, so it was fun to see it in person and say, ‘Oh, that’s what the baleen looks like in real life,’ and ‘Where’s the vent?’ ”
Biologists hope to complete their work Tuesday, release the carcass and “let the tide push it or move it,” Mahoney said. “What it does or doesn’t do — we don’t know.”
