A humpback whale found washed ashore last week on the US Northwest Coast likely died due to a ship strike, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
According to a NOAA Fisheries Instagram post:
“A necropsy of the young male humpback whale that stranded in Oregon found significant hemorrhaging, suggesting that it was struck by a vessel.
“The carcass drifted to shore a few miles south of Manzanita earlier this week. A small team first examined and took samples from the carcass on Monday. A larger team returned Thursday for a full necropsy that found bleeding, bruising and swelling along the whale’s right side. The injuries suggest a blunt force impact such as a vessel strike.”
The Oregon State Parks agency its urging the public against visiting the whale’s remains, to keep from disturbing the threatened western snowy plovers that nest nearby, according to NOAA.
