On Friday March 6, a distressed whale was sighted by Coast Guard helicopter in the surf at Heceta Beach, in Florence. Members of the stranding network responded and found the whale stuck on a sandbar and getting knocked over by waves. As the tide came in, the whale managed to free itself and began swimming again. It was observed by helicopter swimming weakly northward, parallel to the beach on the edge of the surf zone.
On Saturday March 7, the Coast Guard again searched the waters for the whale during their regular flyovers, but no sightings of the animal were made. Then, at approximately 5:00 PM, a passer-by reported a dead whale on a remote beach immediately north of Sea Lion Caves.
Preparations were made for an investigation of the carcass Sunday morning, but by then it had been moved by the tide to its final resting place, at Devil's Elbow State Park, adjacent to Heceta Head Lighthouse.
Stranding network members spent much of Sunday March 8 examining the carcass, taking measurements, photographs, and various tissue samples. The whale was found to be a sub-adult male fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), with no apparent signs of injury that could immediately be ascribed as a cause of death (ship strike or fishery entanglement, for example). Its emaciated condition suggested that the whale had likely been sick for some time before coming ashore.
The carcass was buried on site by the Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation on Monday, March 9. Just prior to burial, samples from the whale's digestive and reproductive systems were collected. A thorough necropsy to determine cause of death was not conducted, as State Parks managers insisted that the carcass not be taken apart on the beach.
Oregon State University Marine Mammal Institute
Hatfield Marine Science Center
2030 SE Marine Science Drive
Newport, Oregon 97365
Phone: (541) 867-0202 Fax: (541) 867-0128
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