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Orca's body reappears near Coquille River

KLCC | By Brian Bull
Published July 8, 2022 at 5:42 PM PDT
The body of an orca first spotted off of Newport on June 27 by a fisherman, now found on July 7 near the mouth of the Coquille River, over 100 miles south.
NOAA Fisheries.
The body of an orca first spotted off of Newport on June 27 by a fisherman, now found on July 7 near the mouth of the Coquille River, over 100 miles south.

A dead orca has been sighted again, after being adrift at sea for eleven days.

Michael Milstein of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says a fisherman spotted the killer whale’s carcass ten miles southwest from the mouth of the Coquille River yesterday.

The body has deteriorated quite a bit since it was first spotted, but it's hoped a genetic analysis of any available remnants can help scientists learn more about this orca.
NOAA Fisheries.
The body has deteriorated quite a bit since it was first spotted, but it's hoped a genetic analysis of any available remnants can help scientists learn more about this orca.

Photos of the orca were sent to an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife office in Charleston. The crew who spotted the body removed fishing or crabbing gear entangling it, and described it as sport rather than commercial.

Milstein says Oregon State University will examine the gear to see if there are any remnants of the orca, which they will then analyze. The carcass remains at sea.

The mammal’s body was first photographed by a fisherman off of Newport on June 27th. It’s believed to be the first instance of a dead and entangled orca found in Oregon coastal waters.

Copyright @2022, KLCC.

Environment
Brian Bull
Brian Bull is a contributing freelance reporter with the KLCC News department, who first began working with the station in 2016. He's a senior reporter with the Native American media organization Buffalo's Fire, and was recently a journalism professor at the University of Oregon.

In his nearly 30 years working as a public media journalist, Bull has worked at NPR, Twin Cities Public Television, South Dakota Public Broadcasting, Wisconsin Public Radio, and ideastream in Cleveland. His reporting has netted dozens of accolades, including four national Edward R. Murrow Awards (22 regional),  the Ohio Associated Press' Best Reporter Award, Best Radio Reporter from  the Native American Journalists Association, and the PRNDI/NEFE Award for Excellence in Consumer Finance Reporting.
See stories by Brian Bull
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