Endangered fin whale dies after washing ashore on Central California beach
Just about five hours after posting about the whale, Santa Cruz officials posted again, this time saying it had died.
Sick, emaciated fin whale dies on California beach
An alive, endangered fin whale washed up on Cowell Beach in Santa Cruz, California, on Thursday morning. By Thursday afternoon, the whale had died. Video shows the whale being tossed and turned by waves.
THE TAKEAWAY
- The fin whale washed up on Thursday morning.
- The whale was emaciated and showed signs of being sick.
- It died after a few hours.
SANTA CRUZ, Calif.– An endangered fin whale died on Thursday after washing up on a beach in California.
On Thursday morning, officials in Santa Cruz, California reported a fin whale that washed ashore on Cowell Beach.
Marine Safety and marine mammal response agencies responded, and closed off the area surrounding the beached whale.
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Santa Cruz City Government asked people to keep away from the closed-off portion of the beach while they tried to figure out what happened.
Santa Cruz city officials respond to the beached fin whale.
(Santa Cruz City Government/Facebook / FOX Weather)
Just about five hours after posting about the whale, Santa Cruz officials posted again, this time saying it had died.
"Marine mammal experts determined it was severely emaciated and showed signs of long-term illness," Santa Cruz City Government said in the announcement on Facebook.
Santa Cruz officials said The UC Santa Cruz Long Marine Laboratory Stranding Network, with help from The Marine Mammal Center, was managing the response alongside City of Santa Cruz Marine Safety personnel.
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The beach was closed while officials figured out what to do with the dead whale.
(Santa Cruz City Government/Facebook / FOX Weather)
Responding agencies are now working on the safest approach to remove the whale, while keeping the public and surrounding areas safe.
Cowell Beach is entirely closed to the public while the situation is handled.
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Video shows the fin whale on the beach, being rolled around by waves on Thursday as officials responded.
Watch: Dead fin whale rolls around with the tide on Santa Cruz beach
The fin whale died on Thursday. Officials said it was sick and very underweight.
This is just the latest in a string of fin whale deaths across the U.S. in 2026.
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Back in June, a pregnant fin whale was found dead on the bow of a cruise ship in Alaska.
Then, in September, a second dead fin whale was caught on the bow of an Alaskan cruise ship.
According to NOAA Fisheries, fin whales are the second-largest whale species on Earth, behind the blue whale.
The dead whale was rolled around on the tide after dying.
(Eric Mailander via Storyful / FOX Weather)
Fin whales are found in all the world's oceans, but they are typically found in deep, offshore waters, primarily in temperate to polar latitudes. They are less common in the tropics.
These whales are prone to a number of threats, including vessel strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, interruption via ocean noise and changing climate conditions.
Officials haven't determined exactly what illness affected the whale.