City removes whale carcass from La Jolla Shores

By Pat Mueller

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    SAN DIEGO, California (KGTV) — A 55-foot-long whale carcass washed up on the beach in La Jolla Shores overnight Wednesday, according to the City of San Diego and NOAA.

An NOAA spokesperson told ABC 10News the whale’s remains were so decomposed that “it was impossible to determine” what species it was. The NOAA team did take tissue samples to determine the whale’s species via genetic testing.

The remains were too large to be that of a gray whale, per NOAA.

A City of San Diego spokesperson confirmed to 10News that the remains washed up on a La Jolla beach, and NOAA responded to evaluate the situation. City staff removed the carcass from the beach and took it to the Miramar Landfill.

Lifeguards told ABC 10News the whale was discovered slightly before 7 a.m. Wednesday, near tower 33 in La Jolla Shores.

Jeremy Wilkerson was walking his dog Wednesday morning and saw the “very decomposed” whale. His daughter, Samantha, is a freshman at UCSD majoring in Ecology, so she raced to the beach to get a glimpse of the whale. Unfortunately for her, it was gone before she arrived, but she did see part of the decaying remains and bones.

ABC 10News also spoke to two women who say they walk the beach every day. They described seeing other sea life and birds dying on the beach, and they referenced the algae bloom that causes domoic acid poisoning.

ABC 10News sent a photojournalist to the scene to gather more information and get visuals of the area. She reported that there were still bones in the area, and as of 2:30 p.m., the smell of the carcass was still lingering.

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