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The body of a 30-foot long whale was found under Pier 27
along the Embarcadero, just south of Fisherman's Wharf. A spokesman from the Marine Mammal
Center says it appears to
be a young gray whale. The authorities are thinking what to do with the whale
carcass, which has begun to smell.
Let’s hope the solution will come up Friday, at a conference
involving the U.S
Coast Guard, the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and wildlife experts.
“Federal law prohibits, because of the Marine Mammal Act and
other laws, we are prohibited from touching or moving the animal unless
directed and requested by NOAA. So we have to wait until we get in touch with
them and they will determine what the next step will be from there,” says Petty
Officer Kevin Neff of the U.S. Coast Guard, according to Abc7news.com
Whales are currently migrating north and are often spotted
in the Bay at this time of year, according to the Oceanic Society of San
Francisco naturalist Stan Minasian, who added that a dead whale was found in
the Bay last year, and two were also found the year before.
“One of the theories is that these were once land animals,
so when they feel they’re getting ill they’ll sometimes instinctively go toward
land to die,” said Minasian according to a local source.
When authorities figure out what to do with the body, the Marine Mammal
Center would be
interested in conducting an examination.
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