Necropsy: Gray whale found in Everett died of starvation
CAMANO ISLAND, Wash. (AP) — Officials say a gray whale that washed ashore in Everett, Washington, died of starvation.
The Daily Herald reported Tuesday that a necropsy determined the female whale that washed up at Harborview Park in early May was skinny and undernourished.
The nearly 42-foot (13-meter) carcass was towed to a beach on Camano Island to be left to decompose.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration spokesperson Michael Milstein says 28 dead gray whales have washed ashore on Washington beaches this year.
Officials recorded 10 dead whales at this time last year.
Milstein says the gray whale population overall is healthy.
About 27,000 gray whales migrate along the Pacific Coast between waters near Mexico and the Arctic.