Spinnaker

A dead humpback whale identified by researchers as Spinnaker floats off Great Head on Mount Desert Island on Thursday, June 11, 2015. The cause of death for the 11-year-old female, which was freed from entanglements three times over the past nine years – including twice in the past nine months – has not been determined. Allied Whale photo.

Humpback whale “Spinnaker”, disentangled by CCS on May 14, has been found dead off Maine by our colleagues at the College of the Atlantic.

“We have been studying “Spinnaker” since her year of birth (2004) as part of our Gulf of Maine population research, and have also been part of three separate events to disentangle her from fishing gear” said Jooke Robbins, PhD, Director of the Center’s Humpback Whale Studies program.

“Her death comes as difficult news, particularly after our latest disentanglement effort, but it is also a rare opportunity to document what happened and to attempt to determine exactly why she died. Such information is critical for understanding entanglement impacts and identifying the most effective actions for preventing future deaths.”

A necropsy will be performed early next week.

For more information, visit the Bangor Daily News website. 

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