On the morning of December 10, San Diego residents gathered on the sand after a 52-foot fin whale washed ashore in the Pacific Beach-Mission Beach area. After first receiving calls around 8 a.m., the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported to the scene along with San Diego lifeguards, firefighters, and police. The whale remained on the beach until around 4 p.m. when, after several arduous attempts, it was moved in unison by a bulldozer, Jet Ski, and boat back out to sea where it sank.
“It suddenly sunk (sic) to the bottom,” lifeguard Lt. Jacob Magness told the San Diego Union Tribune in a text message.
The deceased fin whale, which is the second largest whale species after the blue whale, was determined to be a juvenile female. Fin whales can grow up to 80 feet in length and weigh up to 80 tons.
There was no clear cause of death. The whale showed no signs of trauma, such as propeller marks or gashes, that would indicate that it was directly killed by a boat or humans. Michael Mistein, NOAA Fisheries West Coast region, said, “It didn’t appear to have been dead very long because there wasn’t much evidence of scavenging or decomposition. But there was also no obvious sign of the cause of death.”
The fin whale, which is named for the identifiable fin on its back, is listed on the Endangered Species Act. In the mid-1900s the fin whale was decimated by whalers. Nearly 750,000 fin whales were killed in the Southern Hemisphere alone between 1904 and 1979. While commercial whaling has largely ended, vessel strikes, fishing gear, and climate change still pose threats to their populations. The species extends across all major oceans of the world. It is estimated there are 50,000-90,000 fin whales remaining in the world’s oceans today.
