Young gray whale stranded in Pacific County river
Apr 3, 2026, 11:22 AM | Updated: 2:00 pm
A gray whale is stranded in Pacific County. (Photo courtesy of the Cascadia Research Collective via KIRO 7)
(Photo courtesy of the Cascadia Research Collective via KIRO 7)
A young gray whale is stranded in the North Fork of the Willapa River in Pacific County.
Cascadia Research Collective first spotted the whale Wednesday and confirmed, via Facebook, it was still in the river as of 6 p.m. Thursday.
The organization was hopeful the whale could find its way out overnight, but said a wildlife team was prepared to coax it downstream if not.
“While we hope this whale can find its way out overnight tonight, an on-water response is planned for tomorrow to attempt to encourage the whale downstream,” the Cascadia Research Collective stated.
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Gray whale showing no signs of injury
Wildlife experts monitored the whale Wednesday and said that, although it was thin, it was behaving normally and did not appear to have any injuries. A team went out to try to relocate the animal and further assess the situation.
The team decided to give the whale space to leave the river on its own. However, the Cascadia Research Collective noted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife would intervene if necessary.
Research officials urged people to give the juvenile whale space. Anyone with pertinent information can contact the Cascadia Research Collective’s stranding hotline at 360-791-9555.
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