SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – Researchers have determined a famous humpback whale, which washed ashore in Half Moon Bay on Sunday, was killed by a passing ship in the ocean.
Scientists at the Marine Mammal Center in Marin County, and their partners, conducted a necropsy which revealed the dead animal was a beloved whale named "Fran," who was a favorite among marine-enthusiasts across the California coast.
"Most well known whale in California and second overall of all the whales in this database." Ted Cheeseman, founder of "Happy Whale," which tracks whales around the world, told KCBS Radio.
Experts also found that Fran was killed by a violent boat strike.
Approximately 80 endangered whales, such as humpbacks, die per year on the west coast as a result of ship strikes or entanglement with fishing life.
"Ship strikes and entanglements are two of the leading causes of death for large whales," Kathi George, Director of Field Animals and Response at the Marine Mammal Center, explained. "The numbers that are recorded are not the numbers that are happening in reality off our coast."
Fran was only 17-years-old. The average humpback lives 80 to 90 years.
John Calambokidis, Senior Research Biologist at Cascadia Research, said there needs to be enforcement of mandatory speed restrictions on ships traveling up and down the coast. He added that 60% of ships already regulate their speed, but that’s still not enough.
"There's a major concentration of humpbacks right now in one of the most heavily used shipping lanes coming and going from San Francisco," he explained. "It seemed like it would be the ideal case where something like mandatory speed restrictions would help."
The research center has formed a task force to enforce these restrictions.
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