"An icon that was well known among local marine biologists and whale enthusiasts, found dead on the shores of Manhattan Beach." --Ruby Deetz, 6th grade
On the 28th of August, 2022, an enormous whale was reported by the visitors of Manhattan Beach in Half-Moon Bay that afternoon. Experts say that the whale likely died after being struck by a ship. “This humpback whale had an extensive contusion over her right chest area, a fractured first cervical vertebra and its skull was dislocated from the spinal column,” said Dr. Pádraig Duignan, director of Pathology at the Marine Mammal Center, in a SFGate news release. This whale is now the 10th whale that has died by ship strike in San Francisco this summer alone. Seven of them were gray whales, the other three were humpback whales.
A necropsy was performed on the whale by local scientists and concluded that it was a moderately decomposed female with an abundant amount of fat and blubber reserved, indicating that it wasn't malnourished. “These findings, combined with overall excellent body condition, strongly implicates blunt force trauma associated with a ship strike as this whale’s cause of death,” said Dr. Duignan.
A necropsy was performed on the whale by local scientists and concluded that it was a moderately decomposed female with an abundant amount of fat and blubber reserved, indicating that it wasn't malnourished. “These findings, combined with overall excellent body condition, strongly implicates blunt force trauma associated with a ship strike as this whale’s cause of death,” said Dr. Duignan.
In a matter of days, the whale was identified as Fran. An icon that was well known among local marine biologists and whale enthusiasts. Fran got her name from a man named Ferd Bergholz, in honor of his late wife of 30 years. “I don’t know how to describe it. It’s just one of those things that are just emotional,” said Ferd in an NBC news report. Ferd said that once the whale even breached three times after his wife’s birthday. He says that he is sad to see his old friend die of ship strike but was glad he could see her with her calf one time. “For the last five or six years every year I would wait for her to come up and hope she brought a baby with her, and she brought one with her this year,” said Ferd. Ferd, along with many other people in the bay, hope that Fran Jr. will survive.
Fran was so popular, she was seen around 500 times and photographed nearly 300, and was the most photographed on a popular citizens scientist website.
Fran was measured to be around the length of 49 feet, about four-fifths as long as a bowling lane.
Professionals confirmed that Fran’s death had nothing to do with the algal bloom that has overwhelmed San Francisco bay. This specific type of algae does not appear to make marine mammals fall ill. This algae seems to essentially affect marine animals like Sturgeons, Striped Bass, and Giancarlo Rulli.
Fran was so popular, she was seen around 500 times and photographed nearly 300, and was the most photographed on a popular citizens scientist website.
Fran was measured to be around the length of 49 feet, about four-fifths as long as a bowling lane.
Professionals confirmed that Fran’s death had nothing to do with the algal bloom that has overwhelmed San Francisco bay. This specific type of algae does not appear to make marine mammals fall ill. This algae seems to essentially affect marine animals like Sturgeons, Striped Bass, and Giancarlo Rulli.
Humpback whales were within stone’s throw of extinction in the 19th and the majority of the 20th century. Though the numbers of the humpback whales have increased since a law was put in place to stop these killings, Humpback Whales are still one of the most endangered whale species out there.
“My heart sank, because I saw her with her calf just last month,” said one of the locals. “It was like seeing an old friend.” The average lifespan of a humpback whale is at least 40-50 years. Fran died at the age of 17 years old.
“My heart sank, because I saw her with her calf just last month,” said one of the locals. “It was like seeing an old friend.” The average lifespan of a humpback whale is at least 40-50 years. Fran died at the age of 17 years old.
