- Update -

After an examination on one of the whales, biologists found the animal had various pieces of rubbish in its stomach including a pair of sweatpants, 20 plastic bags, small towels and a golf ball. The examination did not immediately determine why the adult male died, but it was found to be in better nutritional condition than the other dead gray whales that died recently. However it did suggest that the whale had been feeding in industrial waters, these particular whales feed by sucking in sediment in shallow waters and filtering out small organisms that live there. Results will not be known for weeks or months.

Fifth whale dead within days

Another grey whale has been found dead off the Pacific Northwest coast, bringing the total to five in just 10 days. Four of the whales were found dead in Washington's Puget Sound, the fifth beached near Victoria.

Cascadia Research Network have commented that they usually get between five to 10 dead grey whales every year with the majority of those occurring in the spring when the animals are migrating past. One of the juvenile male's that washed ashore was extremely emaciated and likely died of malnutrition, preliminary examinations show that the first three grey whales found dead in Washington were also very thin. So far it's not clear why the whales appear malnourished or whether it has anything to do with declining food stocks, environmental change or other reasons, however because the whales were thin, doesn't automatically mean they starved to death. Illness could have played a part but when you get more than two animals being found within a short period underweight, then of course it's a concern.

There are 20,000 to 22,000 grey whales on the eastern Pacific Coast. In spring, they migrate north from Mexico to the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, where they feed in plankton-rich waters throughout the summer. While the majority swim to Alaska, about 300 choose to stay along the coast between Oregon and British Columbia.