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Dead blue whale will be towed to Naval Base beach
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A dead blue whale floating off the coast will be towed to Point Mugu family beach at Naval Base Ventura County on Friday afternoon.
The whale is being towed to shore because researchers want to study the endangered species while it is still fresh, said Easter Moorman, spokeswoman for Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.
The base is the best option because there won't be the pressure to move it quickly, giving time for scientists to do a full necropsy on the 60 to 70-foot animal.
No jurisdictions were jumping at the opportunity to have a dead, stinking whale on their beaches, she said.
Moormon said one of the best parts of the whale washing up on Hobson Beach last week was the opportunity to educate the public on the whales, but said given the circumstances, the base, which the public won't have access to, is the best alternative.
About $10,000 in funding has been secured to two the whale in, but more is needed to do a full scientific study and remove some of the bones.
Posted by DoctorDude on September 21, 2007 at 12:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Tow it to oxnard, we're used to the smell. KIDDING!
Posted by FunkyMonkey on September 21, 2007 at 12:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I vote for Mussel Shoals....
Posted by danw on September 21, 2007 at 12:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I agree with Mussel Shoals. If they put it close to the houses the public will never even see it!
Posted by sharon.woody on September 21, 2007 at 1:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Please don't prevent the viewing public from seeing the whale. We would like to photograph this great animal without making a nuisance of ourselves. For many of us, this is the closest we will come to being able to view this great whale at a safe distance.
Posted by RelaxPeople on September 21, 2007 at 1:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
yeah, what a bunch of jerk scientists. share the whale!!!!
Posted by nelle2hot on September 21, 2007 at 1:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This is so sad. What is going to be done about this? Will these boats be found, prosecuted or investigated? We all need to start asking these questions. These whales are being butchered by the boats - it's unacceptable to allow them to be destroyed and then disected for science. Take it out to sea, allow the circle of life to continue and leave it alone. What else does science have to learn from large gouges in the animals flesh from propellers? ONLY THAT THIS NEEDS TO BE STOPPED NOW! What can man do to co-exist with these magestic creatures?
Posted by ShelleyCam on September 21, 2007 at 2:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)
nelle2hot-Obviously scientists would not want to study the whale to determine their tolerance for boat propeller damage. I'm no activist or animal lover, but the more we learn about rare sea creatures from opportunities like this, the more we can understand them. In other words, boats aren't the only things that would harm the whales. Also, I'm sure the boats are not colliding with the animals on purpose-AND it's just a theory. If they don't tow it in (as you suggest) they won't know at all what killed it, and yet you want to know what will be done. What is the point of asking questions if they cannot be answered? Your statement is ignorant and contradictory. Visit an aquarium…ever been to Long Beach? It's worth the drive. You can see first hand what kind of information we learn from studying the inhabitants of the sea.
Posted by uknow1 on September 21, 2007 at 2:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
yeah, right. all of a sudden blue whales are getting creamed by ships. Here's the real story...
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi...
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/stor...
http://www.anon.org/lfas_news.jsp
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-...
This has been happening all over the world wherever the USN "tests" their sonar weapon,
just like they're using in the naval manuvers off of Pt. Hueneme RIGHT NOW! Get informed, it is not about ships hitting these whales, it is about our tax dollars killing them...
Posted by uknow1 on September 21, 2007 at 2:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
and yes, I am an animal lover...
Posted by uknow1 on September 21, 2007 at 2:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
and yes, I am an activist too...
Posted by baitsoaker on September 21, 2007 at 2:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Right on ShelleyCam. I'm tire of these "environmentalists" that say we need to learn how humans are impacting the planet and fix the problem, but they don't want scientists to conduct any research or touch any part of the environment to learn how. What do you guys expect, wave a magic wand and all the happy whales will frolic in the ocean with big smiles and singing dolphins around them. I'm sorry to say, but mother nature can be cruel. Yes, it is sad that these whales have died by what is BELIEVED to be impacts with large ships. But if marine biologists and other experts are given the opportunity to study these animals, perhaps they can learn about their sensory abilities. Perhaps then they could develop a device implemented onto ships that emit some sort of sound that will frighten away whales and save their lives? This is all speculation, of course, but how can we work to protect the whales without conducting such research?
Posted by uknow1 on September 21, 2007 at 2:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
asking questions that we do not know the answers to is what leads to those answers...DUH! what logic...it is pathetic...
Posted by uknow1 on September 21, 2007 at 2:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)
baitsoaker...did you look at the links I posted?
Posted by RelaxPeople on September 21, 2007 at 2:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
booooo, i wanted to see the whale. jerks.
Posted by FunkyMonkey on September 21, 2007 at 3:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Pt Mugu ? What about Mussel Shoals ??
Boo Hiss....
Posted by FedUp on September 21, 2007 at 4:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I dont think mussel shoals has nearly the available beach area to study this whale. plus, how would you feel if you had a giant rotting corpse in your backyard?? maybe if mr. rapist Andrew Luster was still living there, but since he is not, the naval base is a perfect site for it.
Posted by baitsoaker on September 21, 2007 at 4:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
yes I did, uknow1. My speculation addressed the "possibility" that ships are striking the whales. Naval research into sonic weapons could certainly be the culprit as well. I honestly just didn't see the point in trying to come up with a solution for that, seeing as how a 30 Billion dollar military budget would probably outweigh, so to speak, the safety of the whales. In the end, I don't know that any cause of death has been conclusively determined. I may be wrong, but the ship impact theory was speculation, and not proven simply by a bruise and some broken bones.
Posted by leandro1 on September 21, 2007 at 4:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This is a sad but amazing opportunity to view the biggest animal on earth. It is really too bad that they will not let the public view it and let our children learn from this.
Posted by Tom_Johnston on September 21, 2007 at 4:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I think this sounds like the right thing to do. Honestly, I do trust the Navy to not only allow a proper necropsy, but to deal with any possible implications of sonar testing.
The Navy has had a good track record protecting the marshes that remain in Ventura County by all accounts.
Yes, I'd like to see it, though I'm not sure about during the necropsy. I remember when I took a biology class taught by I think it was Tom O'Neil, who did sea mammalian research...he got asked how did he do a dissection (necropsy) on a whale..he said it was done with a pair of boots and shorts you were going to throw away anyway and a chainsaw. Yuck!
I would have liked to have seen the whale, but maybe I should do a whale-watcher trip instead. Better to see them alive I think
Posted by php on September 21, 2007 at 6:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
There's a third whale dead per MSNBC http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20911964/
With naval warfare testing between the Mugu and San Nicholas Island is it possible a misguided missile may have gotten them?
Posted by php on September 21, 2007 at 6:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
p.s. to my prior comment: A missile would not necessarily have to strike the whale directly, but a collateral shock wave or other effect from it may have played a part . I certainly hope the Navy allows marine environmentalist in on the research and that the results are publicly available.
Posted by Toxsick on September 21, 2007 at 10:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Three Blue whales hit by tankers is too much of a coincidence this month to believe. I feel some whales may get hit by vessels as they float through the shipping lanes, once paralized by resonating noise damage. I too would get hit on my boat if I just sit floating in the shipping lanes. These whales have migrated through the Santa Barbara Channel coexisting with tankers for many years with about seven known deaths reported. Three of the seven deaths this month, spells out another problem! The Naval Sonar testing looks highly suspicious as the cause. Amazing that such testing is even allowed near the Channel Islands Marine Protected Areas. It seems a bit bias to protect these marine reserves from fishing, yet allow the low frequency testing to disrupt the same locations. So much for the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and our tax dollars.
Posted by res0crek on September 21, 2007 at 10:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Amen Toxsick.
Posted by vtaironjawz61 on September 22, 2007 at 4:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Anyone know where OJ was at the time of these deaths?
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