Sunday, October 13, 2024

SFGATE: Ship Strike Kills Endangered Fin Whale on Mendocino Coast

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A fin whale, the second-largest whale species, washed ashore at Ten Mile Beach along the Mendocino coast after being killed by a ship strike. While fin whales are rare to see stranded due to their tendency to stay offshore, the Noyo Center for Marine Science’s Beach Response Team quickly responded to the scene. Scientists conducted a necropsy and collected vital samples, determining that the whale had suffered blunt force trauma consistent with a ship strike. This incident highlights the ongoing threat of vessel collisions to endangered whale species, despite efforts to reduce these occurrences.

The whale, a subadult female measuring around 40 feet, was in good health with adequate fat stores before the strike. While the whale’s body initially washed back out to sea, it returned to shore later, but this time showed evidence of scavenging by sharks. Conservation programs, such as altering shipping lanes and encouraging slower vessel speeds, aim to reduce ship strikes. However, the incident underscores the challenges in protecting endangered whales along California’s coastlines.

Read my coverage for SFGATE.

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4 COMMENTS

    • As a Marine Biologist who also likes people who want to improve our world I find your comment to be lacking. Try again tomorrow after a good nights sleep, a hug and some breakfast.

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  1. Prepare to pay higher prices for everything you need, goods and services. You’re not that far off from sewing your kids clothes using old flour sacks. But let’s be real-you are not that resourceful. You will struggle harder than your family did 100 years ago.

    Slower ship speed and longer shipping lanes, give me a break. That’s just more artificial, government manufactured scarcity. Untold wealth flows upward to the upper 1%. Untold legal powers follow that wealth. A tyrant’s dream. Kind of like Covid 19. The corporate government elitists will continue to choke out the common man in the name of climate/environmental BS.

    They don’t give a damn about the whales. Never did.

    Of course the modern chattel class will eat this up and clap for more. Next thing you know the federal government will try to sell exclusive rights to large swaths of the ocean, perhaps to energy companies like Shell Oil. Imagine all that new “green” energy. We could finally satisfy the demands of the emerging AI-driven surveillance state. Buyer/voter beware.

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  2. I went out to see the carcass yesterday, and the remnants have many shark bites from many different sharks feeding on the carcass. I saw at least 8-10 different bites which I photographed. The largest bite was a jaw width of about 14 inches wide, with the smallest being about 6 inches wide. I saw several sharks in the water as the body was up on the rocks, so they will have to wait for another high tide. The sharks I saw were likely 10-14-foot white sharks. Based on the toot marks, at least one of the bites looked to be from a Blue Shark. I have pictures if someone is interested.

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Matt LaFever
Matt LaFeverhttps://mendofever.com/
For the past seven years, Matt LaFever has covered the North Coast of California in both print and radio news. A Humboldt State graduate, he has lived in the Emerald Triangle for nearly 20 years. His reporting spans local issues like crime and wildfires. When not writing, Matt is an avid outdoorsman, exploring Northern California’s rugged landscapes. Reach out to him at matthewplafever@gmail.com.

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