The whale had been floating offshore for a few days, monitored by scientists from the nonprofit Cascadia Research Center (CRC).
Commercial fishing gear is a deadly hazard for marine mammals. Fishermen leave lines and nets extending across miles of ocean, which whales cannot see. Whales become entangled and can drown, or can get deeply lacerated by the lines as they thrash in an effort to get free.
According to CRC researcher John Calambokidis, more than a dozen whales have died by entanglement so far this year.
Second whale on same beach this summer
A juvenile humpback washed up on the same beach on May 1—killed by getting tangled in the gear from a crab-fishing boat. That calf was 1 - 2 years old and about 28 feet long.
Four other entanglements were reported in May—one other fatal.
When a whale survives entanglement, it is usually the work of teams from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Large Whale Entanglement Response Network.
In April, teams from Sea Life Response, Rehabilitation and Research (SR3), and CRC, which are part of the Response Network, managed to free a whale entangled in fishing lines in Puget Sound, CRC reported on its site.
"[...]possibly killed by getting wrapped up in fishing lines." -- Chris Jasurek
And since this
activistjournalist is looking for an axe to grind, we might as well call this fake news. Right!Or redundant, and then the real truth would have been..a happier tale?
"The corpse of a humpback whale that died of old age, at 213 years old, washed up on Ocean Shores Beach, Washington, on Aug. 11, -- the whale who was by any other circumstance healthy, simply died of old age, he leaves behind fifteen mates, and they had 27 off-spring -- it was thought it was a suicide, but that note in his pocket, turned out to be a grocery list -- seems the old fella was out doing a bit of shopping and gave up the ghost -- more to follow at eleven. And now, a look at dwarves, are they really short, or as one dwarf -- who wishes to remain anonymous -- has admitted lately.. "We have been faking it all along. Hahahahlololo. Sucks to be you guys."