Stranded 38-foot whale dies on Oregon coast

CNN/Stylemagazine.com Newswire | 9/7/2020, 10:55 a.m.
A stranded 38-foot whale died on the Oregon coast south of Bandon on Saturday.
A stranded whale died on the beach near Bandon, Oregon./Credit: Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

By FOX 12 Staff

BANDON, OR (KPTV) -- A stranded 38-foot whale died on the Oregon coast south of Bandon on Saturday.

The Sei whale became stranded Saturday afternoon, according to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.

Crews from multiple agencies responded to the scene. Investigators said the whale was alive when it first came to shore, but was stranded by the tide and died Saturday evening.

Based on its size, it was a subadult male, meaning it was not yet fully mature, according to wildlife officials.A necropsy will be performed to allow marine mammal biologists to collect samples and try to determine what may have caused the whale to become stranded in that area.

The carcass will then be buried on the beach after the necropsy.

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department reminds people it is against federal law to take pieces from a whale carcass.

For more information about Sei whales, go to fisheries.noaa.gov.

Agencies involved in the initial response include Oregon Parks and Recreation, Oregon State Police, Oregon State University, Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network, West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network and NOAA Fisheries. Agencies involved in the necropsy are Oregon State University, World Vets, and Sealife Response, Rehabilitation and Research.

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