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Orange County scientists are working to investigate the cause of death of a gray whale that was washed and later buried in Huntington Beach.
The 45-foot-long female adult whale was spotted Friday afternoon without any signs of injury, but scientists are raising concerns as it was one of almost 12 grey whales washed down along the West Coast this year.
Marine biologists also said that mammals look rather healthy and further testing is needed.
“We fear we’re seeing an increase in it, and we haven’t seen many calves,” marine biologist Alisa Shulman Janiger told KTLA’s Jennifer McGraw. “This year we have the lowest southbound travel of 41 years. It’s the lowest number of calves we’ve seen so far.”
Schulman-Janiger has led important research projects studying grey whales since 1979. They found what was called an abnormal death event (UME) when the proportion of gray whales got a serious decline between 2019 and 2023.
However, the following year showed a major recovery. But she said there are signs of warnings being issued this year after 70 grey whales have died near the Mexican coast so far.
“If you look at what you’re looking at right now in the grey whale census, many thin whales have been declared ume closed, but that is raising the alarm bell.
She added that there are many factors to consider, and overall, the gray whale is a good indicator of the overall well-being of the ocean.
“It gives us a warning sign that there’s something wrong with the grey whale, but something is very different about its ecosystem. It’s a huge change, and it could be a temporary change. “But we need to see what happens in the coming months.
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