Humpback whale found dead in Gastineau Channel
- Natalie Buttner
- Jul 26
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 29
Cause of death still unknown; whale has been relocated for a necropsy
This story has been updated with additional information.
A dead whale was observed drifting parallel to Sandy Beach on Saturday morning. U.S. Coast Guard and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials coordinated in moving the whale to a remote beach further south in Gastineau Channel to conduct a necropsy.
The whale was identified as a male calf, estimated to be between six and eight months old and measuring just over 30 feet in length, according to Jennifer Angelo, NOAA Fisheries Alaska Region communications lead. NOAA Fisheries has compared fluke photos from this whale to regional fluke catalogs, but have not found a match, likely due to its youth.
NOAA Fisheries Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Network conducted a necropsy on July 27, according to Angelo. A cause of death has not yet been determined. The Stranding Response Network responds to endangered marine mammals and investigates their deaths.
"The Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Network conducts responses to stranded humpback whales in or near Juneau nearly annually," Angelo said.
Community members who had spotted the drifting whale carcass notified NOAA Fisheries by 9 a.m. on Saturday. After receiving the news from a friend, NOAA Marine Mammal Specialist Suzie Teerlink drove to South Douglas to see the dead whale.
"Part of our job is to take these reports, but it's not everyday that they are in your backyard," Teerlink said.
About 50 people were scattered on the beach near Bear Creek and the edge of First Street to watch as a Coast Guard boat towed the whale southeast down Gastineau Channel. Teerlink said the whale's relocation was prompted by its proximity to the community. NOAA recommends the public maintain distance from the whale to prevent contracting disease and to give responders space to work.
"Whales are very stinky, they take a long time to decompose, they carry pathogens that can be dangerous to people and to pets, and they attract scavengers like bears," Teerlink said.
NOAA Fisheries scientists tied a line around the peduncle region, the narrow area before the fluke, in order tow the whale to a less populated location.
Some longtime Juneau residents said a dead whale in the channel is rare. Others recalled the death of Tango, a local humpback whale found dead on Hump Island as a result of a large vessel strike.
Longtime Juneau residents Audrey Scott and Lynn Ridle came from their home in Mendenhall Valley to see the whale. Ridle said that in his 50 years in Juneau, this is the first dead whale he has seen. Like many of those on the beach, he was left with lingering curiosity.
“It’d be good to know what might have happened to cause that,” he said, watching the whale be dragged behind the Coast Guard boat.
“I think that's everybody's big question right now,” Scott added.
Barb Lake, a member of the NOAA Fisheries Marine Mammal Stranding Response Network, stood on the beach watching the whale get relocated. Lake spoke about the importance of investigating whale deaths.
“Whales are charismatic. They're part of a huge whale watching industry here in Juneau, and just tourism in general for the state," she said. "So we want to make sure that if we're seeing dead whales, that it's hopefully from natural causes and that there isn't something that we're doing to influence them, or that there isn't something wrong in the environment.”
Lake said it is important not to jump to conclusions until more data is collected on the cause of the whale’s death, which could take months.
“It just takes time sometimes," she said. "We have to take samples, send them to the lab. They have to get processed. And then we can determine what the cause of death is based on those. So it's not a quick process, and it involves many layers of different agencies and organizations to get those things.”
According to Angelo, most samples will be shipped to laboratories out of state, and may require months to process.
After the necropsy, Teerlink said the carcass will be left to decompose naturally.
"It'll be there on on the beach, and it might refloat and might attract some scavengers, but it's in nature's hands," she said.
NOAA requests that members of the public who have photos of live whales in or near Gastineau Channel on July 25 or 26, contact NOAA Fisheries Alaska Statewide 24-hour Stranding Hotline at (877) 925-7773. These photos may be helpful in identifying the young humpback whale.
She also noted that the public can contact the Stranding Hotline if they encounter an injured or stranded whale. Teerlink expressed gratitude for the outreach from many locals regarding the whale on Saturday.
"This was just a really great example of the community helping to report so that we could have a timely response," Teerlink said.
• Contact Natalie Buttner at natalieb@juneauindependent.com
