Third dead whale in a week washes ashore in Northern California
A gray whale has washed ashore in Northern California, the fifth dead whale found in the Bay Area since March and the third in a week.
The Marine Mammal Center said the whale was discovered Tuesday on Bolinas Beach in Marin County. A necropsy was planned.
Scientists said human-caused injuries killed two whales found last week in the area.
The Marine Mammal Center said a ship hit a 45-foot-long fin whale that was found May 18 near Oakland. A necropsy found the juvenile female had broken bones and massive hemorrhaging. That same day, a second whale carcass was found on Tennessee Valley Beach in Marin County. Authorities say the 36-foot adult female gray whale died after becoming entangled, probably in fishing gear.
In a report Wednesday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said there were 31 whale entanglements in fishing gear reported off the West Coast in 2017, lower than in the previous two years, but still much higher than pre-2014 levels.
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