Dead whale in Berkeley waters: Boaters warned to steer clear
Berkeley is working with multiple agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to remove the animal carcass, the city said.
City staffers are working to remove a dead whale from the San Francisco Bay off the Berkeley shoreline this weekend.
The city began getting reports about the animal carcass Saturday afternoon, Berkeley parks director Scott Ferris said.
At one point, the animal appeared to be floating toward the Berkeley Marina, but it didn't ultimately end up there.
The city is now working with multiple agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to remove the whale carcass, he said.
As of publication time, no additional details were available about the whale itself.
U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Kenneth Wiese, a spokesman for the agency, told The Scanner it started getting reports about the carcass early Saturday morning.
The Coast Guard then alerted the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito.
The rescue, rehabilitation and research agency also has the tools to remove animals that are dead.
"At this point, there's limited involvement from us," Wiese said Sunday. "If it was still alive, it would be a full-blown investigation."
The Coast Guard has also been putting out radio notifications to boaters to warn them to be safe in the area and steer clear of the whale carcass.
"Sometimes it's hard to see things that are submerged, depending on the sea state," Wiese said. "We just want to build up that awareness so people are paying attention into their surroundings. That's the most we can do right now."
This story will be updated if more information becomes available.
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Matthew Green
