Mother, Baby Humpback Whale Sidetracked, Injured by Propellers

By Anastacia Mott Austin

Two humpback whales, a mother and her calf, became lost during their migration north and ended up in the Port of Sacramento, California, over 90 miles off-course. The two whales were spotted earlier this week, and many sightings tracked them on their wayward journey eastward.

Somewhere along the way, the two apparently suffered wounds consistent with boat propeller injuries. Frances Gulland, a veterinary scientist at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California, told reporters, "The injury on the female is about two feet long, six inches deep, and has sharp edges typical of a propeller wound. We don’t think it’s life-threatening. The calf has a wound that looks a little bit more severe than the female." The Marine Mammal Center will be attempting a rescue of the whales today.

The marine biologists plan to broadcast the underwater sounds of humpback whales at feeding time to draw the two injured whales back out to sea, while simultaneously playing sounds of their natural predators behind them. This is what worked effectively over 20 years ago to lure another stranded whale, "Humphrey the Humpback," who became stranded for almost a month in nearly the same spot. Humphrey was eventually coaxed back out to the open sea.

Hundreds of observers lined the banks of the Sacramento River this morning, hoping to get a glimpse of the mother whale and her calf, with their visible wounds. Marine life experts say that the wounds will not require any treatment if the whales can return to the ocean soon, as the Pacific’s salty waters are cleaner than the port’s, and will help heal the injuries.

All shipping traffic has been brought to a standstill in the port, and the next freighter to arrive at the dock isn’t expected until May 23rd, giving the marine experts almost a week to attempt their rescue.

The Coast Guard will accompany the whales on their westward journey to ensure they don’t turn back around or get lost. Experts at the Marine Mammal Center are contemplating attaching locator tags to help them track the mother and her calf.