Whale remains spotted at SF's Crissy Field

Whale remains wash up at San Franciscos Crissy Field

The remains of a gray whale spotted at San Franciscos Crissy Field on Friday are those of a whale that was initially spotted dead last week, officials say.

SAN FRANCISCO - The remains of a gray whale spotted at San Francisco's Crissy Field on Friday are those of a whale that was initially spotted dead last week, officials say.

Washed up whale

What we know:

At around 3 p.m. KTVU got word of a washed-up whale carcass at Crissy Field.

Both the California Academy of Sciences and The Marine Mammal Center said the whale was necropsied at Fort Point last Sunday.

KTVU first reported the dead whale was seen last Friday morning at Fort Point Rock Beach.

The whale, described as a subadult male, was in an inaccessible area when it was first seen. The cause of death has been listed as a probable vessel strike.

The California Academy of Sciences said the results of the necropsy are still pending.

"The results from that are still pending, but initial examination showed blunt force trauma consistent with vessel interaction," said Ronna Kelly, director of communications with the California Academy of Sciences.

The Marine Mammal Center told KTVU there have been a significant number of whale sightings in the Bay over the last two weeks. Officials said there have been four confirmed dead whales in the Bay since March 31. They said that includes three gray whales and one Minke whale that was spotted near the Emeryville Marina on Tuesday.

Officials decided it was best to humanely euthanize the juvenile minke whale as its condition rapidly deteriorated throughout the day.

Other dead whales

On April 2, a dead adult male gray whale was spotted at Angel Island State Park and on March 30, a dead female gray whale seen at Black Sands Beach at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The cause of death for both animals is undetermined.

Increased whale sightings

Last week we reported on the increased whale presence in the Bay. That trend appears to be continuing as experts say gray whales are migrating north to arctic feeding grounds.

The whale sightings have caused The Coast Guard to broadcast a message over marine frequencies for mariners to use caution due to the multiple reports of whales in the Bay Area. Ferry companies have recently had to make temporary lane changes in areas near Angel Island where there have been a number of sightings.

At Crissy Field, John Carig of Concord looked into the eye of the dead whale, something to behold. "You can see the eye of the whale. I've never seen it, so we ended up Google lensing it," he said. Google summed it up as a diseased whale, though that has not been confirmed.

One child at the beach quipped he could have gone his whole life without seeing a washed-up dead whale.

What's next:

Steer clear of the dead whale at Crissy Field and do not touch it if you are in the area. Experts were not certain how long the whale's remains would be at the beach. That may depend on the tide.

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