Another gray whale found dead in Alaska, this time near Cordova

Another gray whale has been found dead along Alaska’s coast.

Marine mammal biologists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Sunday performed a necropsy on a gray whale beached near Cordova.

NOAA Fisheries biologists in early May reported a dead gray whale in Turnagain Arm south of Anchorage.

And a young humpback whale died in Turnagain Arm after struggling in shallow waters in late April.

[Dead whale along Turnagain Arm comes apart piece by piece, filling freezers and advancing science]

NOAA says it’s monitoring significant numbers of gray whale deaths this spring along the West Coast.

Nearly 60 gray whales have been reported dead from Mexico to Alaska. Many were skinny and malnourished.

Biologists aided by the Coast Guard for more than two hours collected tissue samples from the 42-foot young adult female whale near Cordova.

Veterinarian Kathy Burek Huntington of Alaska Veterinary Pathology Services says the animal did not appear emaciated.