Well-known humpback whale killed in boat collision

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Federal law enforcement officials are investigating after a 48-foot female whale well-known in the waters of southeast Alaska was killed in a collision with a boat.

A tour-boat operator found the whale, which had been seen in the waters of southeast Alaska for nearly 40 years, near Funter Bay on July 1. The carcass was hauled to a nearby beach, where a necropsy was performed July 3, officials said Friday.

"The left mandible was fractured and the right mandible was traumatically dislocated from the cranium," Dr. Kathy Burek of Alaska Veterinary Pathology Services, the lead veterinarian on the necropsy, said in a statement Friday. "Cause of death was determined to be ship strike."

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Fin whale killed by ship strike off Washington

Dead Fin whale washes up at Ocean City - June 2013

June 2013. Biologists from Cascadia Research and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife have conducted an examination of a dead Fin whale found on a beach in Washington State.

Ship strike

The 68-foot adult male Fin whale had been in fairly good health prior to death with a healthy oily blubber layer and evidence of having fed recently based on stomach contents. There was substantial bruising in the blubber and underlying tissues on the left side of the head and the upper and lower left jaw indicating severe blunt force trauma consistent with having been killed by collision with a ship.

Ship strikes

This is the 11th Fin whale to have stranded in Washington State since 2002, and the 2nd Fin whale to strand this. Ship strike has been indicated in 9 of the 11 cases. Ship strikes are a growing concern with several west coast species of whales, particularly Blue and Fin whales. In addition to these documented cases, scientists suspect that these may only represent a tenth or less of the true number occurring since most whales that die never wash ashore and either sink or drift offshore.

Fin whales are the 2nd largest animal that has ever lived, only surpassed by the slightly larger Blue whale. Several thousand Fin whales feed off the US West Coast, generally in deeper waters 30 or more miles offshore, feeding on small fish and krill. Their populations have been generally increasing as they recover from commercial whaling.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/washington-fin.html

Whale Rotting On Malibu Celebrities' Beach

A 40-foot whale carcass has washed ashore on one of Southern California's most pristine beaches and has begun to rot while authorities try to decide who should remove it.

The 40,000-pound (18,143kg) male fin whale washed up in Malibu on Monday, not far from homes owned by singers Barbra Streisand and Bob Dylan.

Los Angeles County lifeguards had the idea of trying to pull the carcass out to sea but were unsure if they could manage the job.

County fire inspector Brian Riley said: "Our lifeguards think this probably exceeds our capabilities. You would need a tug boat to drag it out to sea."

In that case, the city was not sure who would do it, said spokeswoman Olivia Damavandi.

The Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbours was not responsible for disposing of the whale because "it's on a private beach", said spokeswoman Carol Baker.

The beach is controlled by homeowners down to the high tide line; the state is responsible for the tidelands, she added.

The California Wildlife Centre examined the carcass on Tuesday and found a gash on the young whale's back and a damaged spine, indicating it may have been hit by a ship.

Such accidents have become more common as increasing numbers of migrating blue, fin and humpback whales swim to California's shore to feast on krill.

The endangered fin whale is the second-largest animal in the world and can grow up to 85 feet (26 metres), weigh up to 80 tons and live to be 90 years old.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/dead-fin-whale-washes-ashore-malibu-010002145.html

Endangered Bryde's whale killed by apparent ship strike

New Zealand's Bryde's whales are Critically Endangered
February 2012. A necropsy on an endangered Bryde's whale found floating in the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park has shown that the whale was alive when it appears to have been hit by a vessel.

The population of Bryde's whales living in New Zealand waters is critically endangered. New Zealand is one of the few places in the world where there's a resident population of Bryde's whale. It is centred on the Hauraki Gulf, but fewer than 200 Bryde's whales frequent the gulf.

The dead Bryde's whale was seen by members of the public floating near Waiheke Island and reported to the Department of Conservation. DOC rangers recovered the whale floating north east of Tiri Tiri Matangi. They towed it to Motuihe Island which is managed by DOC in partnership with the Motuihe Trust.

The 15 metre long female whale was buried at Calypso Bay after the necropsy was completed using two earth moving machines and a bulldozer that are on Motuihe for road building work. Representatives of Ngati Paoa blessed the whale and the burial site. The necropsy was led by Massey University veterinary pathologist Stuart Hunter assisted by veterinarians from the New Zealand Centre for Conservation Medicine at Auckland Zoo.

"The necropsy has shown that the whale was alive when it was struck, most probably by a vessel," says DOC Auckland Area biodiversity manager Phil Brown. We're waiting for the full results of the necropsy to determine if ship strike was the exact cause of the whale's death."

75% Bryde's whales killed by ships
In the last 16 years there have been 41 confirmed deaths of Bryde's whales in the Hauraki Gulf. Eighteen of these dead whales were examined and 15 are most likely to have died as the result of being struck by a vessel.
Ship strike poses the greatest threat to Bryde's whales in the Hauraki Gulf and DOC is working with the University of Auckland on the issue.

"We're concerned about the number of Bryde's whales being struck by vessels," says Phil Brown.

"One of the things that could be done to protect these whales is to lower the speed of commercial ships passing through the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park. This happens in other places around the world so we know that shipping companies are used to taking this sort of measure."

Dr Rochelle Constantine and Dr Natacha Aguilar from the University of Auckland are leading research into why Bryde's whales are so vulnerable to being struck by vessels.

Dr Constantine says preliminary analysis of the research shows that the whales are spending the majority of their time less than ten metres below the surface. This puts them within the strike depth of many vessels using the Hauraki Gulf.

"We've been talking to the shipping industry about the threat vessels pose to Bryde's whales in the Hauraki Gulf," says Dr Constantine.

"We're getting positive feedback from the shipping industry in our discussions on measures to protect the critically endangered population of Bryde's whales living in the Hauraki Gulf."

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/brydes-whale.html