XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, alt.culture.beaches   
   From: democrat@ruined.california   
      
   A dead whale washed up on the sand in Newport Beach on Wednesday, with   
   authorities assessing how the mammal died — and how to get it off of the   
   popular beach.   
      
   The 27-foot whale was first spotted offshore at about 1:45 p.m. near   
   28th Street and came onto shore at about 3 p.m. near 11th Street,   
   between the Newport and Balboa piers and near Newport Elementary school,   
   Lifeguard Chief Brian O’Rourke said.   
      
   The mammal is believed to be a humpback and about 20,000 pounds, or 10   
   tons, he said. Staff from the Pacific Marine Mammal Center were on   
   scene, he said.   
      
   The cause of death is unknown and the PMMC staff will do a preliminary   
   assessment followed by a necropsy, said National Oceanic and Atmospheric   
   Administration spokesman Michael Milstein. The whale is believed not to   
   be an adult yet.   
      
   Winds were too strong, and sea conditions on Wednesday were too   
   dangerous for a tow vessel to come close to the shore to remove the   
   massive animal, O’Rourke said, adding they may have to wait until Friday   
   due to more inclement weather that is expected.   
      
   “The salvage boat can’t even do it because the weather is still extreme   
   out in the outer water, and it’s too dangerous to tow,” said O’Rourke.   
      
   Authorities will have to wait for the higher morning tides to see if   
   they carry the animal back out to sea, or they may need to dispose of it   
   by having pieces hauled offsite, as they did with a massive whale off   
   Lower Trestles about a decade ago, O’Rourke said.   
      
   “We’re working on a plan to dispose of it,” he said. “For it to just   
   decay on the beach would cause a lot of different problems.”   
      
   He said people should stay clear of the whale, keeping a distance of at   
   least 200 feet.   
      
   “Just please stay away from it right now until we can get the salvage   
   disposal of the whale underway,” he said. “It’s massive; there could be   
   some danger to the public, it’s rolling away from the surfline.   
      
   “It could cause damage, even crush them,” he warned. “That’s a   
   possibility in a dangerous situation.”   
      
   https://www.ocregister.com/2026/02/18/dead-whale-washed-up-in-ne   
   port-beach-near-11th-street/   
      
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