A deceased humpback whale stranded on one of the most sensitive beaches along Pacific Grove as of Thursday, June 4, is the focus of a careful response by experts who will be studying the carcass, according to a Pacific Grove Police press release.
Lovers Point Beach, which is west of where the whale carcass sits on the harbor seal pupping beach near Hopkins Marine Station, remains closed through the rest of Thursday. It was closed out of an abundance of caution on Wednesday, June 3, shortly after the dead whale was spotted just before 1pm. The concern was that the carcass would attract sharks.
UPDATE: Lovers Point Beach continues to be closed through Friday, June 5. The concern remains that sharks could be attracted to the area.
A coordinated response is underway, led by the Marine Mammal Stranding Network at UC Santa Cruz's Long Marine Laboratory and Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, in partnership with the City of Pacific Grove, Hopkins Marine Station, NOAA Fisheries and others.
Trained responders will be taking samples to determine more about what might have killed the humpback, as well as the health, ecology and threats facing marine populations in general.
"When strandings occur, response teams work to gather as much information as possible while ensuring public safety and minimizing disturbance to surrounding wildlife and habitats," the press release states.
The Hopkins Marine Station beach is currently hosting harbor seals and their nursing pups, so the teams had to design a plan to minimize any disturbance.
The responders will conduct a limited necropsy examination between Thursday and Friday to collect samples from the carcass, which may lead to a diagnosis, but may not due to limitations. The samples will be used for ongoing marine mammal health and conservation research.
The whale will remain intact to ensure the least amount of disturbance and will be removed via towing into Monterey Bay after samples are removed.
Officials are asking the public to watch only from a distance and avoid entering the area to approach the whale. The presence of humans could cause stress on the nursing pups and their mothers during a critical time in the pups' life cycle.