Bay Area's 1st reported dead whale of year discovered off Alameda coast

ALAMEDA, Calif. (KGO) -- A dead whale was discovered floating off the coast of Crown Beach in Alameda Saturday night.

Wildlife officials are reporting this is the first whale death in the Bay Area this year.

The carcass drew a small crowd of onlookers on Sunday.

Officials believe it's a young adult female gray whale estimated to be 40 feet long.

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This is not the same whale that was recently discovered entangled in a fishing net near Daly City.

"This is the time of year where gray whales are headed back to Alaska from Mexico. So we halfway expect to see a gray whale or two on their transit back. And sometimes they die," said Sue Pemberton with California Academy of Sciences.

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"And when we see them on shore, we want to figure out why. That's the best way for us to advocate and conserve them."

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The U.S. Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers will help tow the carcass to Angel Island State Park to determine the cause of death.

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