Oregon State University researchers have a quandary. They have a nearly-80-foot-long blue whale carcass they want to turn into an educational display…but no funds.
The blue whale is the largest animal in existence. And the carcass that washed up near Gold Beach in 2015, may be the first one that’s been found in Oregon since the Lewis and Clark era. OSU has kept the bones in Yaquina Bay so critters can pick its bones clean.
But the bones also need to undergo a chemical process to remove oil. The estimated cost? $125,000. That’s on top of finding a facility that can accommodate 15 tons of skeleton.
“It’s a very big task," laughs Bruce Mate. "We’re not dealing with bones leftover from the holiday turkey.”
Mate is Director of OSU’s Marine Mammal Institute. He says they ultimately want to reconstruct the blue whale skeleton for outdoor display.
“Which we hope to be the courtyard of our new marine studies building, they’ll be breaking for that on the 15th of March," he tells KLCC.
"So in about a two-year time frame, we want to put this near that building, where people can see this magnificent specimen.”
Mate says he’ll even consider crowdsourcing if it means reaching that goal. No state or federal funding exists for this type of endeavor, but OSU researchers consider its educational value "immense."
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/Bones from the 78-foot-long blue whale that washed up near Gold Beach in 2015.
