A sperm whale estimated at 35 to 40 feet long that wandered into Mobile Bay this past week is struggling to survive.
Team members from Dauphin Island Sea Lab’s Marine Mammal Research Program are on the scene with the whale near Montrose on the east side of Mobile Bay, where the average water depth is only about 10 feet.
The Alabama Marine Mammal Stranding Network, including veterinarians and biologists, are tending to the animal and monitoring its condition.
“Unfortunately, the prognosis is poor for a large whale such as this,” the team said in a statement updating the whale’s status. “The public is urged to keep their distance. With this large of an animal, it is a dangerous situation. Local and state law enforcement are on the scene to help the public maintain the proper distance.”
The whale was first spotted on Thursday by a fisherman below Week’s Bay, south of Fairhope.
James West was boating with a friend Thursday afternoon when he spotted something in the distance, WKRG reported.
“We noticed a couple humps in the water and a lot of birds,” said West.
He notified Fish & Wildlife officials.
“They said that it had lost a lot of weight and was discolored and we noticed yesterday that it was moving very lethargically,” West said on Friday. “It just seemed like it was in trouble. It was a shame to see such a magnificent creature in such distress.”
West shot video of the whale using his cell phone.
“I just couldn’t believe the size of it,” he said. “I was so excited to actually see a whale, but at the same time I was very disappointed and very sad to see that happening to that whale.”
Dauphin Island Sea Lab officials said this is the first documented stranded sperm whale in the state of Alabama. The team worked with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
They say that on average, two sperm whales are stranded in the Gulf of Mexico each year, most often in the late summer and fall.
Male sperm whales can reach up to 62 feet in length, females can be up to 39 feet long, and they are known as deep divers, commonly reaching a depth of about 1,150 feet. A 60-foot-long male sperm whale weighs more than 50 tons. Sperm whales may dive for an hour or more, then spend about 10 minutes at the surface breathing once every 10 seconds. They feed on octopus and squid.
The white whale hunted in Herman Melville’s 1851 novel “Moby Dick” is presumed to be an albino sperm whale.
The marine team thanks the public for reaching out when the animal was spotted in the area. They urge the public to report sick, dead, injured, or out of habitat marine mammals in Alabama to the Stranding Network hotline at 1-877-WHALE-HELP (942-5343).
Team members from Dauphin Island Sea Lab’s Marine Mammal Research Program are on the scene with the whale near Montrose on the east side of Mobile Bay. (Photo: ALMMSN/DISL)