Gray whale washed ashore on Vashon Island – Beachcomber, Maury Island

A 40-foot-long gray whale washed up recently on the east side of Vashon Island, where it likely died of malnutrition, sparking sadness, fascination and reverence among researchers who study the giant cetacean.

The adult male whale was seen on the island’s shores just before April 12, when its presence was forwarded to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and local marine mammal researchers and veterinarians.

The whale was measured to be less than 40 feet long and appeared emaciated and malnourished on initial inspection. A necropsy on the evening of April 17 confirmed that the whale had become emaciated and lack of food may have been the main cause of its death.

Now, far from human habitation, the whale’s carcass will be left to decompose naturally on the land – a process that will give islanders a rare and fascinating look at what the whale’s body will create in the coming months. A rich and tiny ecosystem.

Researchers including researchers from the Cascadia Research Collective and photographer Marla Smith, who works with the Orca Network, have tracked gray whales over the past three weeks in Olympia, Des Moines, Bray Merton and the final discovery at Vashon.

Washington state has a “stranding” network system that is activated when marine mammals such as whales become stranded, become distressed or die.

Responding to situations like whale strandings requires coordination among researchers, veterinarians, and volunteers—in this case, World Vet, WDFW, the Cascadia Research Collective, the Orca Network, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration .

Amy Carey, executive director of nearshore habitat watchdog group Sound Action, said it was notified of the whale on April 12 and immediately notified World Vet that they were stranded on Maury Island, Vashon First point of contact for incidents.

But Carey, along with Smith and wildlife first responder Kelly Keenan, headed out to the whale that day to take photos and gather as much information as possible in case the tide brought the whale out to sea before researchers arrived.

Carey said shortly after the whale died. It inspired feelings of piety and sadness as their small team hurriedly documented the creature, water lapping at their knees.

“It’s a very profound moment to have the whole body of the whale[in front of you],” she said. “Being able to touch it. They are filter feeders and the baleen in their mouths is so delicate — it’s really a work of art. .

Smith said as they left, Mount Rainier/Tahoma soared in the sky behind them and the sun set on the mountains and the whales.

“It’s shocking and sad, but it’s also such a beautiful animal to see in real life,” Smith said. “It’s a very peaceful, quiet place and its final resting place.”

Lessons of life and death

Jessie Huggins is a research biologist at Cascadia Research who specializes in marine animal necropsies, so studying gray whales is her area of ​​expertise.

World Vets founder and leading veterinarian Cathy King was in the Galapagos Islands when Cascadia Research stepped in to lead the whale’s necropsy on April 17.

Huggins said a necropsy – another term for autopsy – involves measuring the thickness, flexibility and oiliness of blubber, taking samples of viscera and food components from the stomach and intestines, and looking for signs of trauma, disease or tangles . The researchers took many measurements and took photos during the process.

Huggins said there are clear signs in gray whales that malnutrition is a major cause of death. Its body was emaciated, its oil reserves were depleted, its muscles were atrophied and there was “virtually nothing in its gastrointestinal tract,” she said.

Huggins said it showed no signs of being struck by a vessel or any signs of recent or previous entanglement. Disease is harder to detect, she said – whale blubber is an “excellent insulator” and can speed up decomposition. Still, a pathologist’s report may provide answers within weeks.

“Right now, it looks like a malnourished whale,” she said.

There’s no denying that performing an autopsy on such a large and beautiful creature is sad “every time,” Huggins said. But these studies help researchers understand animals better and, in the long run, help their species survive.

“It was absolutely fascinating,” said Carey, who watched from a distance as the autopsy was conducted by an all-female team. “It’s a pheromones thing to watch these teams work. It’s not easy… the physical workload is pretty staggering.

Thankfully, Vashon’s gray whale stayed relatively out of the way, so the smell of decay didn’t force its removal, as often happens when these animals become stranded.

The whale is now rotting on King County property, which has authorized him to stay there.

Vashon Nature Center installed motion-sensing wildlife cameras to record the whale’s decomposition process, providing a fascinating and rare glimpse into the preying process of this creature by both land and sea dwellers.

Vashon Nature Center founder and scientific director Bianca Pera said the nature center will regularly review the images and videos on the cards and share them with the public.

“We’re interested in the ecological impacts of all the biomass coming from the ocean to our shores,” Pera said.

The death and natural decay process of a giant creature like a whale is a biological miracle in itself.

A “whale fall” occurs when a whale’s carcass sinks to the deepest point of the ocean floor, and can create complex, vibrant ecosystems that can last for decades in which octopuses, shrimps, crabs, clams, snails, sharks and others Animals clean up rotting whales or hunt scavenging animals.

While the Vashon Island whale is rotting on land, its remains will also provide nutrients to the ecological community here, just as trees take on new roles in forests when they die and fall, Perla said.

Huggins said an animal like a whale can be reduced to bones and a bit of tissue in just four months — a process that would be faster if a tide came in and washed the whale like a fish.

The rotting carcass will nourish its own new ecosystem, promoting natural cycles—a fate that could have been avoided if the whale had been buried, burned, or even blown up, as was the infamous fate of a rotting sperm whale in Florence. ,Oregon.

“I hope he didn’t die and wash up on our shores, but I do think it’s also a very interesting lesson in the life cycle that I hope to share with people,” Pera said. “I hope people respect his place on the beach and let him decompose naturally.”

It is illegal to collect any parts or fragments (teeth, bones, etc.) from a whale carcass unless permitted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). WDFW says humans should not approach or allow pets or children to interact with the whale carcass.

facing death

Migrating gray whales in the Eastern Pacific migrate from fall to spring to Mexico, where they lay eggs and raise their calves. They return to their feeding grounds in the subarctic and arctic Bering and Chukchi seas during the summer. Round trip is 10,000 miles or more.

Unlike orcas, gray whales often travel alone or in small, unstable groups.

Huggins said a small pod of whales known as “sounders” has discovered a rich feeding area along Puget Sound, centered on Whidbey Island and Camano Island. They come here every late winter and early spring and then continue their migration.

But each year, Huggins said, a few laggard whales move further into the bay, often in poor condition and, like the gray whales on Vashon Island, lingering in unproductive feeding areas.

“[The] When gray fish get this far in the channel, the common outcome is that they don’t survive,” Carey said.

The conservation status of gray whales is listed as “least concern.” Their plight is not as dire as that of the southern killer whales, which are on the brink of total extinction.

But the gray whale species is just recovering from an “unusual mortality event” from 2019 to 2023, in which NOAA recorded 690 gray whale strandings along the west coast of North America.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the initial cause of the mass die-off is changes in the ecosystem of the whales’ northern feeding areas, leading to malnutrition, reduced birth rates and increased mortality. Stranding rates have now returned to normal levels, but gray whale populations will still take time to recover.

If you find a stranded whale on Vashon-Maury Island, please contact World Vet at 253-777-1775.