‘Aggressive shark behavior’ shuts down California beach

LATEST, Nov. 6, 2:40 p.m. A pygmy sperm whale that washed up off Huntington Beach with a shark bite was euthanized at the scene, the Pacific Marine Mammal Center told SFGATE on Monday afternoon.

“It became clear he was very unstable and [showed] symptoms of cardiac arrest,” said Dr. Alissa Deming, vice president of conservation, medicine and science at the center. “He was not a great candidate for rehabilitation. The best and most humane thing we could do was euthanize it.”

Deming said a blood test revealed that the animal had likely been sick and in distress before being bitten by a shark off Sunset Beach on Sunday. “Sharks feed on weak and injured animals. They’re an opportunistic species,” Deming said.

The waters off California are frequented by pygmy sperm whales, but this species prefers deeper waters; they’re usually at least 10 to 25 miles off the coast.

“They’re usually on the other side of the continental shelf,” Deming said. “They’re very shy animals, they’re elusive. It’s interesting to have the opportunity to see one up close.”

A male juvenile found on Sunset Beach was 7.5 feet long and 400 pounds. The carcass was transported to the center and researchers are performing a necropsy to learn more about it.

Nov. 6, 7:50 a.m. Reports of “aggressive shark behavior” have temporarily shut down a two-mile stretch of a popular California beach, officials said Sunday.

Witnesses at Sunset Beach in the Southern California town of Huntington Beach told lifeguards that a shark was splashing and acting aggressively at 3:45 p.m. on Nov. 5 before a whale washed up on shore. “While the whale was still alive, bite marks were seen on the mammal,” the city said in an alert posted on social media. The young whale was beached near lifeguard tower 22. 

“As is the City’s policy when aggressive shark behavior is witnessed, the shoreline & ocean will be closed for 1 mile in each direction of the incident,” the city said. “The closure will remain in place for the next 48 hours.”

The city said the Pacific Marine Mammal Center was notified. The center did not immediately respond to a request from SFGATE for an update on the whale.