Skip to content

Two grey whales found dead near Alaska’s Kodiak Island

More than 150 grey whales deaths reported this year in Mexico, Canada and U.S.
17256824_web1_TSR-Whale-edh-190611
This grey whale was found on a beach in Everett in Washington State and was towed to Camano Island for a necropsy and to decompose. (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife)

Two dead grey whales have been found in Alaska, raising the whale death toll in the state so far this year to seven.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed the two whale deaths near Kodiak, The Kodiak Daily Mirror reported Tuesday.

NOAA declared an “unusual mortality event” and launched an investigation into the cause of the large number of deaths.

A dead grey whale was spotted last week floating and later beached in Kodiak Island’s Portage Bay, southwest of Anchorage.

The whale was about 30 feet long and there was evidence it had been preyed upon by killer whales, said Alaska Regional Health Specialist and Data Manager Kate Savage.

The whale was in a state of advanced decomposition.

READ MORE: Spike in grey whale deaths on West Coast prompts investigation

During an aerial survey Friday, another dead grey whale was seen floating on the northern side of Aiaktalik Island near Kodiak Island.

The eastern North Pacific grey whale population that migrates from Mexico to the Arctic each summer was last estimated at about 27,000 animals.

More than 150 grey whales deaths have been reported this year in Mexico, Canada and the U.S. The two whale deaths in the Kodiak area bring the U.S. count to 75 as of June 6.

Many of the dead whales have been “skinny and malnourished,” but a cause has not yet been determined, a NOAA official said.

NOAA Fisheries will continue to conduct coastal surveys and respond to reports made to the Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline.

The Associated Press

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter