NOAA: Grey whale found dead over weekend likely couldn't eat

A whale found dead over the weekend had been swimming injured through the Puget Sound for about two weeks, NOAA Fisheries said Friday.

Authorities suspect the whale may have been suffering from an infection that produced gas inside its body or a collapsed lung that had filled its chest cavity with air.

These conditions would have made the whale too buoyant to dive, NOAA said, effectively starving the whale to death.

Grey whales need to be able to dive because they eat small organisms on the sea floor, like crustaceans.

The juvenile grey whale was first spotted on April 24 near Kingston, Washington.

The whale was active and swimming but unable to dive, officials said.

Researchers with the Cascadia Research Collective and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife say the whale was approximately 35 feet long and only a few years old.

On May 6, researchers teamed with the Seattle Aquarium and conducted a health assessment, revealing significant sun damage and blistering on the whale's back.

NOAA Fisheries monitored the whale’s location and condition throughout the weekend.

Officials advise that grey whales can weigh up to 40 tons and can be very dangerous when distressed.

Authorities said that at this point, there are no tools available to effectively treat or euthanize large, free-swimming marine mammals.

Cox Media Group