A juvenile roughly 51 feet in length was found inside the surf line near Torrance Beach on Saturday night and died before rescuers arrived.
Lifeguards discovered the whale around 6 p.m. inside the surf line near the beach between Redondo Beach and Malaga Cove, according to a Los Angeles County Lifeguards post on X.
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The Marine Mammal Care Center and National Marine Fisheries Service responded and the experts determined the whale had died, lifeguards said.
“Due to its size & location it is expected that the whale will remain on the beach while responders create a plan to remove it,” the statement said. “If you are in the area please give the animal & responders plenty of space to work!”
On Sunday morning, lifeguards and marine mammal center personnel announced they were securing the whale for a necropsy, which will help determine the cause of death, Marine Mammal Care Center CEO John Warner said. The city later posted that all agencies cleared the scene: “The whale has been removed and lifeguards are advising the public to swim with caution.”
The Fin whale species is endangered, and the samples collected from the necropsy will help researchers determine why the marine mammal was stranded and what could happen to others. This particular whale was described as “skinny, weakened, with signs of opportunistic parasitic infections on the skin,” Warner said.
The whale will later be towed offshore so it can sink into the ocean.
