Minke whale dies after days trapped in Long Beach harbor
Efforts to lure the whale back out to open waters were unsuccessful, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials.
After days of lingering in the Long Beach harbor, a minke whale has died, officials confirmed Sunday.
The whale, believed to be a juvenile due to its size, had been circling the area since at least Monday, according to video provided to the Watchdog by Visit Long Beach that day. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed that the whale died Sunday morning.
“Currently the team is examining the carcass to look for injuries or other indications of the animal's health, and to collect blood and tissue samples for analysis,” said Michael Milstein, a spokesperson for NOAA Fisheries West Coast region.
The agency will release more information as it becomes available, Milstein added.
Video recorded Monday showed the whale in Rainbow Harbor, backdropped by the Queen Mary and Lions Lighthouse. Other videos posted online show the whale swimming up Queensway Bay to Catalina Landing.
Efforts were made to lure the whale back out into open waters, according to the Milstein. On Thursday, NOAA staff worked with lifeguards and others to remove booms near the entrance of the basin to give the whale more space to exit, he said.
On Thursday and Friday, boats were used to generate noise in the hope of driving the whale out of the harbor area, Milstein said.
"The whale briefly swam out of the basin into the main channel out of the harbor but then reversed and returned," Milstein said, adding that the carcass was found "just outside the basin along the main channel out of the harbor."
"It is an unfortunate ending but we hope we can learn something from the exam and analysis about what happened to the whale and why."
The NOAA estimates there are about 900 minke whales living off the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington.
A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration worker examines the carcass of a minke whale that died in Long Beach Sunday, April 6, 2025. Courtesy of the NOAA.
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