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A stranded gray whale found in upper Cook Inlet, near the mouth of the Theodore River. Credit: AVPS/Natalie Rouse
The gray whale that was first reported in Twentymile River near Girdwood, Alaska on Memorial Day has likely died. It had lingered in the river for more than a week before swimming back into Turnagain Arm, but it never made it down Cook Inlet back to the Gulf of Alaska.
NOAA Fisheries received a report on Friday, June 12 that a large dead whale was sighted from the air. It was spotted at the mouth of the Theodore River, near the Susitna River.
“We hoped for the best, but expected the worst given the poor condition of the gray whale when it left the Twentymile River,” said NOAA Fisheries Biologist Barbara Mahoney. “After considering the challenges of Turnagain Arm’s currents and tides, it is unlikely that two gray whales would strand in upper Cook Inlet in the same time period. We have determined that the dead gray whale by Susitna River is likely the same one from Twentymile River.”
An examination of the photographs determined the gray whale was male.
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