The U.S. Coast Guard Service informed the National Marine Fisheries Service early morning on Wednesday that a dead whale was floating in Oakland Estuary off a dock in Alameda with the carcass potentially disrupting traffic at the Port of Oakland.
On Thursday morning, the remains were towed to a remote location where scientists would be able to determine the cause of death of the animal.
Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Barry Bena said that the Coast Guard coordinated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to tow the marine animal around 5 a.m. on Thursday
Lt. J.G. Aulner said that the whale seemed to have been dragged from the open ocean and into San Francisco bay by a container ship although it remains unclear if it was killed because it was struck by the ship or the vessel merely came across the animal after it died. The crew members were not even aware that they had pushed the animal through the Golden Gate.
"The ship accepted tugs on the way in and they were told there was a whale on the bulbous bow," Aulner said.
It is believed that the animal sunk as it neared Alameda on Monday but it resurfaced later as it decomposed. Authorities said that it is uncommon to find carcasses of dead whales in the bay. The whale is the first to be discovered in the bay this year.
A research biologist from Marine Mammal Center gathered samples from the remains of the animals but because of its positioning, its species could not be definitely determined. Center officials, however, said that it appears to be a large baleen whale such as a fine or blue whale.
"Every whale stranding is an important opportunity to learn more about these creatures, and how we can prevent future deaths," said Frances Gulland, a scientist from the Marin Headlands-based Marine Mammal Center.
Gulland said that ship strikes would become a growing problem with the increase in worldwide shipping. He pointed out the need to locally identify a solution that would work for both shipping companies and whales to keep them safe.
The last time that Marine Mammal Center responded to a stranded whale in San Francisco bay was five years ago when a 40 to 50 foot male fin whale was discovered on the bow of a ship that was docked at the Port of Oakland. The animal died due to boat strike.
Photo: Daniel Ramirez | Flickr
