Dead whale may have been struck by ship

A freshly dead whale spotted near Farallon Island Sunday may have been killed by a ship, according to the Gulf of the Farallones Marine Sanctuary

The whale was about 25ft long and had several large wounds: one to two feet long slashes on its flank and the base of its tail. It could not be determined whether the whale was wounded before it died.

At the same time, sanctuary biologists in the area on a research vessel reported that They had been forced to discontinue a cruise along a predetermined route because they encountered a group of feeding humpbacks directly in their path of travel and were forced to stop the vessel to avoid a collision. The humpbacks were feeding so intently they ignored the oncoming boat.

The Sanctuary warns boaters to be careful around feeding whales.