Stranded humpback whale divulges secrets

The humpback whale that stranded on the Lombardsijde beach, near Nieuwpoort, was female. It was 10,5 metres long and weighed 15 tons. The stranding was an exceptional event, since these marine animals don’t live in the North Sea.

Humpback whale on the Lombardsijde beach

The autopsy of the body shows these results:

Observation	Explanation
Total body weight: 15 tons	The animal was in good body condition
Layer of fat: 11,5 cm	The animal was in good body condition
Internal haemorrhages at head and neck	Heavy impact on the head
Left pectoral fin: open wound and broken bone	The bone had been broken before death
Left pectoral fin: several parallel wounds	Impact of a ship propeller
Pink muscles	There has been a lot of blood loss
Fresh preys in the intestines	The animal had eaten recently
Fluid in the organs	Internal rotting of organs had started

Samples are taken by several researchers, to learn more about the cause of death of the animal

This leads to the conclusion that the humpback whale was in good health, but has died after it was hit by a ship. He lived for a few hours, but died from its injuries and washed ashore a few days later.

Collisions between whales and vessels may not only harm the marine mammals, but also the people on board. A considerable increase in collisions has been noticed by the International Whaling Commission (IWC). The IWC, representing 66 countries, has the difficult task of resolving this global problem.