Large whale killed by destroyer becomes feast for blue sharks
One of two fin whales struck and killed by an Australian destroyer last week off San Diego has become a feast for blue sharks.
The accompanying graphic images and video, captured by Delaney Trowbridge of Pacific Offshore Expeditions, show sharks and gulls feeding on the whale carcass Thursday near San Clemente Island.
The fin whales, measuring 65 and 25 feet, were discovered lodged to the hull of the Australian Royal Navy vessel after it had pulled into San Diego last Saturday.
The 481-foot HMAS Sydney, a guided missile destroyer, had been conducting joint exercises with the U.S. Navy when it struck both whales at an unknown offshore location.
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The larger whale was subsequently towed offshore; the smaller calf or juvenile was destined for a landfill.
“Obviously, so many people were upset that they killed it, but in my opinion it’s just a terrible accident,” Trowbridge told For The Win Outdoors. “But I hope those people can find some solace in the fact that the body is in the ocean contributing to the ecosystem. It’s not a wasted life by any means.”
Ship strikes are a leading cause of death for large whales and occasionally the mammals become lodged against the bows of enormous ships.
“Often times, [crews] don’t know until they come in and stop,” Justin Viezbicke, coordinator of NOAA’s California Marine Mammal Stranding Network, told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “That’s when the whale falls off and floats out.”
The incident remains under investigation by both military agencies and NOAA Fisheries, which collected samples in an attempt to determine, among other things, if they were mother and calf.
The Royal Australian Navy, in a statement, said it “takes marine mammal safety seriously and is disheartened this incident occurred.”
Ryan Lawler, owner of Pacific Offshore Expeditions, told For The Win Outdoors that at least 12 blue sharks were feeding on the carcass Thursday as it floated 10 miles east of San Clemente Island.
Said Trowbridge: “We just saw this mass on the horizon, initially thought it was a boat or thought it was debris. Ryan got close enough to inspect it with binoculars and realized it was the whale.
“Then when we got up to it, we noticed the tow rope attached to the tail and that confirmed it was the same one killed by that Australian Navy boat from San Diego.”
Trowbridge shared more sentiments via Instagram:
“Most of you have probably heard the news that a pair of Fin Whales was recently struck and killed by an Australian Navy vessel in San Diego. Even in the vastness of the ocean, the wrong paths can still cross… resulting in terrible accidents like this one.
“While it’s sad to consider the context, at the very least this whale’s body has been returned to the sea where she belongs. She’ll now feed hundreds, if not thousands, of other marine species and return to the ecosystem.”
