Beached whale found at San Leandro Marina was victim of a ship collision, scientists say

Scientists have determined a vessel strike caused the death of a juvenile male gray whale that washed ashore earlier this month near the San Leandro Marina.

On April 8, a team from the California Academy of Sciences and their collaborators at the Marine Mammal Center performed an autopsy, which found that the whale’s blunt-force trauma injuries were consistent with a vessel collision. They also found fishing line encircling the whale’s snout that indicated the whale was entangled while alive, according to a news release issued Tuesday by the academy.