Time lapse video of emaciated gray whale in Southern Puget Sound 7 July 2019.
As a part of the Northwest Marine Mammal Stranding Network, Cascadia is active in responding to strandings of cetaceans and pinnipeds.
Cascadia collaborates with National Marine Fisheries Service and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife in stranding response and examination of stranded animals. Support for stranding response and research has come through the Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue and Assistance Grants Program.
This video may contain some scenes difficult to see, but it is an important part of our work understanding gray whale biology and hopefully provides insight into this year unusual mortality event along the US West Coast. It was taken over 3.5 hours on July 7, 2019 when biologists from Cascadia Research (CRC), Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and World Vets conducted an examination of a gray whale initially seen alive- though in poor condition in Puget Sound in early June after it died on or around July 3, 2019.