A minke whale that had been swimming in Long Beach Harbor for over a week has died, officials reported on Sunday. Marine wildlife experts had tried to help the whale leave the harbor, but their efforts were unsuccessful.
Michael Milstein, a spokesperson for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), shared that the whale was found dead outside the small boat basin where vessels dock for trips to Catalina Island. The whale had been approximately 24 feet long, classifying it as a "sub-adult" male.
Efforts to guide the whale back to deeper waters included removing barriers at the harbor entrance and making sounds to encourage it to swim out. Unfortunately, after those attempts, the whale returned to the harbor. Experts hoped it would find its way out during the calmer nighttime hours, a common behavior for whales in similar situations. Sadly, that did not happen.
Milstein mentioned that the whale would undergo an examination to determine the cause of death. One concern is whether it was affected by domoic acid, a neurotoxin linked to algal blooms that has recently harmed many marine animals in Southern California, including over 100 sea lions and numerous dolphins.
Minke whales are the smallest members of the baleen whale family and can grow beyond 26 feet and weigh up to 14,000 pounds. The population along the West Coast, including Oregon, Washington, and California, is estimated at around 900. These whales are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
The circumstances leading the whale to swim into the harbor remain unclear. Milstein noted that whales often explore coastal areas looking for food or places to rest. While they sometimes enter bays or inlets, most manage to find their way back out. This incident raises questions about the whale’s unusual behavior and the challenges marine life faces in changing ocean environments.