Minke Whale Found Dead After Days in Long Beach’s Queensway Bay

A whale has been found dead days after it wandered into the waters of Long Beach’s Queensway Bay and Catalina Express Ferry Harbor, officials said Sunday.

“The minke whale that had been circling within Long Beach Harbor for much of the week was unfortunately found dead this morning, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a statement. “NOAA Fisheries is working with local officials to determine how best to access and examine the carcass to learn what happened to the whale. We will share more information when it becomes available.”

On Thursday morning, witnesses saw the whale circling in the harbor and attracting onlookers near the Catalina Express dock.

The witness mentioned the massive marine mammal swimming around in the area near Golden Shore Drive and Shoreline Village, across from the Queen Mary. Just how long the whale had been in the harbor was unclear.

Chelsea Quezada, a spokesperson for the nearby Aquarium of the Pacific, confirmed it was a minke whale.

There were efforts to remove some booms near the exit to the harbor to give the whale more room to leave, using noise to encourage it to swim toward the exit, an NOAA spokesperson said.

“The whale did actually briefly head out but then reversed back into the harbor and remained there,” the agency said Thursday. This does happen with different whale species from time to time in different harbors and bays and usually they find their way out on their own within a few days.”