A dead juvenile humpback whale was found on Sunset State Beach in Watsonville, California, and California State Parks staff buried the whale on the beach Sunday morning. The cause of death is still under investigation, but the lab was able to rule out a few causes, including fishing line entanglement and boat strikes.

The $30 million question: what killed the humpback whale?

The Long Marine Lab's Marine Mammal Stranding Network was contacted to report the stranding, and members of the lab examined the whale carcass and performed a necropsy to determine the cause of death.. While the cause of death is still under investigation, the lab was able to rule out a few causes, including fishing line entanglement and boat strikes.

The whale seemed to be in good nutritional condition, but one of the top concerns is that the whale died of domoic acid poisoning. Domoic acid is a neurotoxin that can be produced in large amounts by hamful algal blooms. The Monterey Bay has seen such blooms four years in a row.

62 whales stranded: a record year for West Coast whale deaths

This year has had a high number of whale strandings along the West Coast, with two recent humpback whale strandings in the Monterey Bay bringing the total figure up to 62. The Long Marine Lab and other partners are hoping to tow the whale carcass in Pacific Grove, but oceanographic conditions have not yet allowed for such an operation.

Of the 62 whales stranded, 52 have been gray whales. Most of those have been in poor nutritional condition, according to the press release. Food availability has been scarce in the Arctic as climate conditions change. Some other whale deaths were caused by vessel strikes.

The domoic acid connection

Scientists are analyzing samples obtained during the necropsy to determine the cause of death and whether domoic acid could be the culprit. domoic acid is a neurotoxin that can be produced in large amounts by harmful algal blooms.. The Monterey Bay has seen such blooms four years in a row.

Dunkin noted that whale deaths are a natural part of the ecosystem and that marine ecologists have found flourishing ecosystems that develop around whale carcasses that fall to the sea floor. For that reason, Dunkin and the Long Marine Lab encourage towing whale carcasses off the beach into the ocean or letting the animals decompose on the beach.

Public safety concerns

However, California State Parks moved to bury the whale on Sunset State Beach in the interest of public safety due to increased shark activity. Sunset State Beach remains open to visitors and never closed as a result of the whale stranding. At this time, Lovers Point has been reopened with a beach advisory in effect.