The dead humpback whale discovered in Juan de Fuca Strait late last month died of blunt force trauma to its head, likely caused by a ship strike, say investigators.
A team of researchers and veterinarians examined the 10-metre whale, known as Hawkeye, on Sunday.
The whale was towed to a beach near Sekiu, Washington, and was examined by veterinarians and and other specialists from the Marine Mammal Laboratory, Oregon State University, SR3 and the Fiero Marine Life Center.
The cause of death could not positively be determined due to the whale’s advanced state of decomposition and the “logistical constraints” of the situation, Cascadia Research Collective said in a statement.
But it was determined the whale had been in reasonable health prior to death and showed evidence of “pre-mortem blunt force trauma to the head.”
Cascadia said the return of humpback whales to the Salish Sea and their increased use of Juan de Fuca Strait — an area of high vessel traffic coming and going from ports in Puget Sound and southern British Columbia — has made “ship strikes of whales a growing concern on both sides of the border.”
Val Shore, a naturalist with Eagle Wing Tours, saw the dead whale floating belly-up on Sept. 23. The whale’s head was submerged, but its tail was visible near the surface and Shore was able to photograph the underside of its tail.
Shore was able to identify the whale as Hawkeye or MMX0094, which was first seen and catalogued in 2016. She had seen the young whale as recently as Sept. 22, off Otter Point just west of Sooke. At that time, the whale appeared healthy.
Cascadia Research Collective said Hawkeye had been satellite tagged in 2018 by Oregon State University researchers, but the tag did not function for long.
The whale has since been seen repeatedly feeding in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
