Gray Whale Scarred by Exploding Harpoon Visits San Clemente Coast

Submitted by Captain Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari

“Scarback”, a well-known female gray whale with a massive scar believed to be caused by an exploding harpoon, was sighted this afternoon off the coast of San Clemente by whale watching passengers aboard Captain Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari. She was heading south, on her annual migration to Baja, California. This is not the first time this special gray whale was seen by Dana Point whale watchers. Scarback was previously seen by Captain Dave’s passengers on January 6, 2014.

Scarback has been seen off the central coast of Oregon since 1979 and is easily identified by the huge scar on her right dorsal hump. Biologists believe she acquired the lice-ridden scar from a harpoon between 1985 and 1987. The lice, which look pinkish-orange, actually help the whale by feeding on dead and decaying tissue. Despite her serious injury Scarback is doing well and remains friendly towards boats. “I have seen her for 20 straight years. She has had at least five calves that I have seen in that amount of time”, says marine biologist and gray whale researcher Carrie Newell. “Scarback is at least in her 40’s and she is a ‘cougar’, always mating with younger males”, she adds.

The majority of gray whales spend the summer months feeding in the cold waters of the Chukchi and Bering Seas. Then in October or November they begin their long migration to the mating and calving lagoons in Baja, California. The annual trek is about 12,000 miles round trip and is one of the longest migrations of any mammal. However there are about 200 gray whales that do not travel all the way back up to waters off Alaska. Instead they remain off the coast of Oregon to feed between the months of June and November and are considered part-time residents. Of those part-time residents, only 40 are considered residents because they return year after year and hang out for a least a couple of days while feeding. Scarback is one of those rare resident whales!

During their migration gray whales face many risks. According to N.O.A.A. up to 35% of gray whale calves may be eaten by killer whales. And scientists estimate that every year worldwide as many as 308,000 dolphins and whales die because of fishing gear entanglement. Captain Dave organized Orange County’s first whale disentanglement group in 2008. Alongside additional trained members of the West Coast Entanglement Response Network, they have successfully disentangled several gray whales, including Lily, whose disentanglement in Dana Point Harbor made national headlines.

Photos: Capt. Dave’s Dolphin & Whale Safari, Craig Dewitt