Dead Fin Whale Washes Up On Oregon Beach

Warrenton, Ore. — On Monday morning, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) confirmed that a dead fin whale washed up on Sunset Beach in Warrenton, Ore., near Astoria. The exact time of the whale’s arrival on the beach is uncertain but is believed to have occurred very early Monday morning.

NOAA announced plans to conduct a necropsy on Tuesday to determine the cause of death and gather further information about the whale. A necropsy, akin to an autopsy for humans, allows researchers to investigate the circumstances surrounding the whale’s demise.

Fin whales, the second-largest whale species on Earth after the blue whale, are characterized by a prominent fin on their back near the tail. They typically weigh between 40 to 80 tons and measure 75 to 85 feet in length, with a lifespan of 80 to 90 years. Found primarily in regions such as Alaska, New England/Mid-Atlantic, Pacific Islands, Southeast, and the West Coast, fin whales are known to be farther offshore compared to gray whales.

In 2023, three fin whales were stranded on the West Coast, according to NOAA. Despite being driven near extinction during the whaling era, the fin whale population has been steadily recovering, with an estimated 8,000 individuals off the West Coast. This incident follows a series of whale strandings along the Oregon coast in January 2023, including two gray whales and a 40-foot sperm whale, although fin whales typically tend to be farther offshore than gray whales.