Popular California Beach Temporarily Closes After Dead Humpback Whale Draws Crowds, Sparks Shark Warnings

Popular California beach temporarily closes after dead humpback whale draws crowds, sparks shark warnings

A juvenile humpback whale found dead along the California coast has drawn crowds, forced a beach closure, and become a new focus for scientists looking at marine mammal health. What happened? After the whale was first spotted in the water early this month, it washed ashore near Hopkins Marine Station in Pacific Grove, as KSBW reported.  Pacific Grove police then closed Lover's Point Beach, about a mile away, as people gathered to watch and take …

Toxic algal blooms linked to deaths of recently stranded humpback whales

Lab tests conducted at UC Santa Cruz of samples taken from the two carcasses found domoic acid, the biotoxin that causes neurological impairment, seizures, and death in marine mammals.

Death of a young humpback whale in P.G. and another in Santa Cruz County blamed on domoic acid.

The dead juvenile humpback whale that stranded on a sensitive beach in Pacific Grove on June 3 likely died due to exposure to domoic acid, a naturally occurring marine biotoxin produced by harmful algal blooms, according to an announcement on…