A fin whale washed ashore at Cowell Beach in Santa Cruz Thursday morning.
Robin Dunkin, director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Network at UC Santa Cruz’s Long Marine Laboratory, said the whale was alive when it washed up, but looked emaciated and soon died.
" When we first arrived, we saw the tail moving around, body twitching, body movement," she said. "And, we really didn't see any of that for at least one hour."
Dunkin said they estimate the whale weighed between 25,000 and 30,000 pounds. She explained towing a whale carcass out to sea is usually preferred, but the weight of the animal and an incoming storm made that too dangerous, especially so close to the Municipal Wharf.
"Obviously, protecting human safety is our primary concern," said Dunkin. Instead, the city decided to tow the whale over the beach and onto a flatbed trailer. "They're trying to get a rope around the animal's fin to anchor the animal so that it doesn't keep drifting toward the wharf," she said, as they prepared for the move across the beach.
Dunkin said keeping the carcass will give scientists a chance to conduct a necropsy and look for the cause of death.
"Whale carcasses like this are a really important source of information and science, and that's the best way the animal can live on," she said.
The researchers initially considered a rescue, but the sub-adult animal was clearly sick.
