LANGLEY – A gray whale was found dead along Whidbey Island near Langley on Monday, said Susan Berta, program coordinator for the Orca Network, a group of volunteers that tracks whale movements in Puget Sound.
“We were getting reports since Saturday of a gray whale rolling on its side in deeper water,” Berta said. “Gray whales usually only role over in shallow areas where they’re feeding.”
The whale was discovered at 2:30 p.m. at Sandy Point, south of Langley.
Berta said Cascadia Research will do necropsy on the whale to find out why it died. Initial reports are that it appeared to be an emaciated adolescent whale.
Berta said young whales often turn into Puget Sound to die when they are not strong enough to make the spring migration most gray whales make to waters off Alaska.
If so, it would not be part of the gray whale population that comes to Puget Sound for three months each spring to feed.
Finding the dead whale cast a pall over a successful “Welcome Whales Event” held over the weekend in Langley, Berta said. At that event, two healthy gray whales swam by while the whale parade was happening. As many as seven healthy gray whales have been spotted in the region.
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