“ Bob the Minke Whale ” found dead after week at California Harbor – The Mercury News

A minke whale swimming in the Port Rainbow of Long Beach for most of last week was found dead Sunday morning April 6.

The officials of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration examine the body of the whale for any injury or potential disease, said spokesman Michael Milstein. They will also take samples of blood and fabrics in the hope of learning the cause of the death of the whale and helping other whales in the future.

It is common, said Milstein, that the whales find themselves in the pools, but generally they find their fate. While the whale was in the port, officials said it showed no signs of illness, injury or being in danger.

The authorities tried to remove the booms to create a larger opening so that the whale is leaving and brought boats to make strong noises that would encourage him to get out of the port. The whale left for a brief moment but returned to the same pool, said Milstein.

The spectators first noticed the whale, nicknamed “Bob the Minke Whale”, on March 31, near the Charter Harbor Breeze charter boats. Later, he went to the village of Shoreline, then near the Catalina Express.

Minke whales are a smaller type of whale, and officials think that there are at least 509 Minke whales off the coast of California, Oregon and Washington, according to an estimate of the population of 2023.