Whale appears to be in a life or death struggle, it'll be touch and go
FLORENCE, Ore. - A whale that got stuck in the surf off the Oregon coast on Friday but was able to free itself is not doing well, according to officials who are monitoring the situation.
A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter on a routine mission first spotted the whale around 1 p.m. off the coast in Florence and noticed what they thought was a line from a crab pot caught behind its dorsal fin. There is now some question whether the whale was tangled in a line or was perhaps stuck on a sandbar.
The whale measured about 40 to 50 feet in length and at first glance appeared to be either a Humpback whale or a Minke whale. Officials now believe it could be a Sei whale. Sei whales live in some of the deepest parts of the ocean and are often mistaken for humpbacks.
Like the Humpback, Sei whales are on the endangered species list.
Jim Rice with the National Marine Fisheries Service said that while the whale was able to free itself, it was not heading out to sea and appeared injured or sick.
"We saw a fair amount of blood showing when the waves were crashing over the animal's body," he said. "Blood was coming up with the water. It may have been hit by a ship, it may have an illness or it may just be confused for some reason."
There was some good news Friday evening. After freeing itself from the sand bar, the whale was able to stay upright. However, it was still stuck in the surf and officials feared it could end up beached again by Saturday morning.
Whale beachings are rare on the Oregon coast. There were no reported beachings in 2008 and just one each year in 2007 and 2006.
The U.S. Coast Guard said there is not much they can do to help. They said the whale needs to get past the area where the waves break. Friday evening, the whale was moving parallel to the beach and heading northward.
