A fisherman has spotted the dead humpback whale in the Sitka area that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association was interested in studying.
Fisherman Henry Larsen spotted Thursday it at the southern entrance to Olga Strait on the western shore. Larsen said the carcass was beached, but looked likely to refloat on the rising tide. He expected it to eventually drift south on the ebb.
The animal’s body was moored to the beach. NOAA’s Julie Speegle confirmed it will be examined.
Dr. Kathy Burek, a veterinarian from Alaska Veterinary Pathology Services, is scheduled to fly to Sitka on Saturday to perform a necropsy.
