Grey whale mom and calf free themselves after standing on an Alaskan island

Three rangers and conservation workers had been spending a weekend on the wild and remote island of Kruzof west of Alaska when one morning they discovered unusual activity in the bay. Seeing something blow and pectoral fins flipping over was highly surprising as the water should have been too shallow for anything to be there. Imagine their surprise as they moved in closer and found not only one but two grey whales moving in the water.

The mother and calf had become stuck on the sandbanks, wiggling and surfing around to try and free themselves while the tide was at its lowest. Still, the water was high enough to support a sufficient amount of their body so they would not be crushed by their own body weight. Consequently, it also did not qualify as a stranding yet, though they were undoubtedly stuck.

The three onlookers immediately reported the incident to NOAA to get a team for a possible tissue sampling and necropsy ready. Alas, that was all they could do at the moment as there was no way they could get them unstuck and moving closer constituted a high risk of injury for both parties. Both whales were in distress and moving about, constantly trying to reposition themselves and get back into deeper water.

A goal unachievable for the moment, but that changed when the tide came back a couple of hours later. Against all expectations, the mother managed to break free and dive into the deep water. “As soon as she did, the second whale just shot right out behind her” and they watched them heading off back out to the ocean.

The mother and calf grey whales had gotten stuck in the shallow water but were able to free themselves. Picture by Leah Mason

A very lucky outcome for the two animals, though less information for science than expected if they had not made it. Grey whales are not unlikely to get stranded as they are benthic feeders and often dredge along the ocean floor for food. With the current unusual stranding event of grey whales along the North American West Coast, as much information as possible is of benefit – pictures, samples, necropsies. In case of a stranding, the best thing to do is to take pictures and report the finding to NOAA to initiate the necessary steps.

The story, interview and a video can be found here in detail: https://www.kcaw.org/2020/07/02/gray-whale-mom-calf-star-in-kruzof-tidepool-drama/