Washed Up Whale & Beached Gray Seal
Two odd story’s to report on this week both involving marine life, On Saturday March 13th at around noon a call came in to Ocean City first responders reporting a very large beached whale by the inlet downtown the whale was dead upon further inspection. The Ocean City Police, Fire, Public Works Departments & Local Coast Guard units responded and went straight to work securing and removing the whale with heavy equipment and a large flatbed truck it took crews hours to move the huge whale off the sand and on to the trailer with help from a small army of city workers. According to officials from Ocean City, the creature appeared to be a 32 foot 11 ton humpback whale. Biologists with the Baltimore Aquarium were set to examine it at 65th Street, No word on the cause of death as of yet but some speculate that the navy’s sonar equipment that is currently being tested on Wallops Island that was put in place last year could be to blame, Records show that Assateague Island had 3 whales wash up last winter. More then likely the whale was struck by a ship.
Also this week there was a beached Grey Seal that stranded himself, It appeared that the seal was sick and was seeking help Ocean City Animal Control was called and responded within minutes quickly blocking off the area and giving the seal some room to relax. Biologists with the Baltimore Aquarium were called on Monday and were sent to 43rd street to check on the seal on Tuesday by then it was to late the seal had gone back in to the ocean after spending more then 3 days out of water more then likely it had ate some kind of trash in the water. No one knows the fate of the seal OC Animal Control said these are some of the more aggressive types of seals that live in our area but this one was so sick you could get within feet of him and he wouldn’t bother you showing how sick he really was, Hopefully it will pop back up on our shore so they can take a look at him. Defiantly two odd and sad story’s this week both involving marine life. Big Thanks To Greg Leister For Sharing The Whale Photo’s With OC Surf Report!
Written by Mick Chester
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