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A dead fin whale was found floating near Cardiff State Beach in Encinitas, Calif., and was towed over a mile out to open water
A shark was observed following the whale carcass, prompting officials to warn beachgoers to use caution in the area
The National Marine Fisheries Service is investigating the death of the endangered whale
California officials are warning beachgoers about a potential increase in shark activity after a large whale carcass was found off the coast of San Diego.
On the morning of Monday, April 27, a dead fin whale was found floating around 400 feet off the coast of San Elijo Campground at Cardiff State Beach in Encinitas, Calif., a city in San Diego County, according to the City of Encinitas Fire Department.
As lifeguards assisted California State Parks officials with towing the carcass out to sea, they observed sharks following the dead whale.
A dead whale carcass off the coast of San Diego, California.
Credit: Encinitas Fire & Marine Safety Department/Instagram
“The whale carcass is now over a mile from the coastline, but beachgoers should use caution when entering the water in this area over the next few days,” Encinitas officials said in an Instagram post.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that three lifeguards on personal watercraft pulled the whale carcass away from the beach. The dead animal was then hooked up to a boat by state lifeguards and towed more than a mile out to sea. City officials watching drone footage of the whale’s removal spotted a shark following the whale as it was towed away.
Officials tow away a dead whale carcass off the coast of San Diego, California.
Credit: Encinitas Fire & Marine Safety Department/Instagram
“It was interesting to see, but I feel kinda bad,” Chris Grippo, a surfer who observed the whale, told NBC 7, San Diego. “They’re majestic creatures. What happened to it? We need every one of them.”
In an Instagram comment, the City of Encinitas said the National Marine Fisheries Service of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is currently investigating the whale’s death.
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“Our team reached the carcass yesterday afternoon and confirmed it is a male fin whale, about 60 feet long. A shark had been feeding on the carcass, which had also begun to decompose, so they were unable to identify a cause of death,” Michael Milstein, a spokesperson for The National Marine Fisheries Service, told PEOPLE.
“Fin whales are the second-largest animals known after blue whales. They are an endangered species but have rebounded from near-extinction during the commercial whaling era,” he continued.
Milstein says the fin whale population off the West Coast is now estimated to be at least 8,000, and that the animal has become an increasingly common sight for whale watchers in Southern California in recent years.
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