Latest in the Fort Bragg whale tale: teams collect pectoral fin, take X-ray scan

FORT BRAGG, CA, 9/19/22 — Researchers have collected tissue samples and a pectoral fin from a juvenile humpback whale near Glass Beach in Fort Bragg, after the 25.6-foot dead animal washed ashore last week. 

The Noyo Center for Marine Science hopes to display the bones from the fin; Interpretive Facilities Manager Trey Petrey said the 6-to-7-foot long fin is now in a “compost” of sorts, where “all of that fleshy material will deteriorate and then we’ll be able to clean the bones and the flipper.” A team from Mendocino Equine and Livestock brought equipment to X-ray the fin, so the Noyo Center will know how to properly position the bones once they’ve been cleaned.