Dead gray whale towed to NAS Whidbey for examination

A dead gray whale was found floating in Saratoga Passage Sunday and has been towed to a beach on Whidbey Island Naval Air Station. According to Susan Berta, co-founder of the Orca Network, the whale was spotted by citizens in the early morning hours just north of Camano Island State Park. The whale remained in the same position for most of the day and was towed that evening to a beach off Polnell Point by a whale tour company.

A dead gray whale was found floating in Saratoga Passage Sunday and has been towed to a beach on Whidbey Island Naval Air Station.

According to Susan Berta, co-founder of the Orca Network, the whale was spotted by citizens in the early morning hours just north of Camano Island State Park. The whale remained in the same position for most of the day and was towed that evening to a beach off Polnell Point by a whale tour company.

Berta confirmed that several groups are meeting today to perform a necropsy on the remains. The organizations involved include Cascadia Research, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Central Puget Sound Marine Mammals Stranding Network.