Overview
- The 42-foot adult female was found Tuesday below the Golden Gate Bridge and towed to Angel Island, where a necropsy was completed Wednesday by the Marine Mammal Center and California Academy of Sciences.
- Investigators reported injuries consistent with a vessel strike and collected samples for laboratory analysis to confirm the preliminary findings.
- The Marine Mammal Center said the carcass was in fair body condition for the season and showed signs of recent feeding.
- The death is the Bay Area’s first reported whale fatality of 2026, as researchers logged at least six gray whales in San Francisco Bay this week.
- Last year brought 26 whale deaths in the region, including 21 gray whales, while the West Coast population fell to about 12,900 in 2025; officials urge vigilance and reporting through the Marine Mammal Center website or Whale Alert app.