A second deceased grey whale has washed ashore on a B.C. beach, less than a week after one was found at Long Beach on Vancouver Island.
A spokesperson with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans said they were notified about the second whale, which was found near Skidegate on Haida Gwaii, on Sunday. It measured about 12 metres long.
“DFO’s Marine Mammal Response Team is engaging with local First Nations to co-ordinate a necropsy to determine the cause of death,” said the spokesperson.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans said the cause of death won’t be confirmed until after the necropsy reports are complete, a process that usually take two to three months.
DFO’s Marine Mammal Response Team works with partners, when possible, to recover biological samples and conduct necropsies on dead whales to further understand the cause of death.
In 2017, grey whales were assessed as three distinct populations, two of which are endangered. DFO could not confirm which of the three grey whale populations this one belonged to.
Anyone who sees a whale being harassed or disturbed, witnesses a collision involving a whale, or observes a whale entanglement is asked to call DFO’s 24-hour reporting line at 1-800-465-4336.
People who are unable to reach that number can call the Canadian Coast Guard’s Marine Mammal Desk at 1-833-339-1020 or via marine traffic radio.
Another grey whale was found on Long Beach in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve on May 6, the first reported fatality of the season in Canada.
The B.C. deaths follow a series of strandings as the grey whales travel up the West Coast from the lagoons of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, where the whales gather to calf, nurse and breed.
At least seven grey whales have been documented in Washington state waters, along with at least 73 off of California. Some have showed signs of malnutrition.
A section of Long Beach in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve was closed on Saturday by Parks Canada to allow First Nations to preside over a cultural ceremony for a deceased grey whale that washed ashore.
A necropsy was also scheduled to take place.
— With a file from Darron Kloster, Times Colonist
