Body of whale washes up in Ocean Shores raising concerns for overall health of the ocean

The body of a small gray whale washed on shore near Ocean Shores Tuesday, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). Researchers told KIRO 7 that normally happens four to six times a year, but it’s already happened five times in June.

The whale was found stranded around noon at Damon Point, which is just south of Ocean Shores on Protection Island.

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Members of the Cascadia Research Collective (CRC) and WDFW responded, however, the whale did not survive.

According to the CRC, it was the fifth gray whale to beach this month. That includes a 40-foot-long gray whale that washed up on Fox Island in Pierce County in April. In that case, biologists determined that the whale was likely hit and killed by a boat.

According to the Marine Mammal Standing Network, results of a necropsy on two other recent whales indicated they may have died of malnutrition.

Researchers told KIRO 7 that the gray whales in the Puget Sound are undergoing what experts call an ‘unusual mortality event.’ That happens when there’s an unexpected but significant death toll of a mammal population.

For reference, in 2016 there were 27,000 gray whales and there are now an estimated 14,500.

Why does this matter? Researchers say gray whales are often seen as an indicator of the ocean’s health, so when we see a population decline it can mean that harmful changes are underway in our waters.

“The number of whales that we see dying and showing up on the beach, you know, is only a small portion of the true number that are actually dying, there are probably many more whales that are dying, not washing up on beaches not being part of these counts,” says John Calambokidis, a marine biologist at Cascadia Research. “But certainly these counts of dead whales are reflective of this larger problem that may have killed over 10,000 of their lives.”

Gray whales aren’t the only ones suffering. Southern resident orcas are now being spotted with graying skin lesions on them. Researchers are concerned about what this means.

KIRO 7 will continue to look into this problem.

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