OSU Marine Mammal Stranding Network

A Whale of a Story: Necropsy of young humpback helps reveal health of species and the ocean

July 4, 2024

By MICHAEL MILSTEIN/NOAA Public Affairs This is the story of a necropsy and the clues it revealed, one by one, about what ended the life of a young humpback whale. It died in May off the north Oregon coast. A necropsy of a stranded whale provides a rare glimpse into the life of the animal, its species, and the

It’s beach season for harbor seals, sea lions and humans — and the experts would like to offer a few words of advice

May 18, 2023

By SUSAN PALMER/YachatsNews Mammals — both marine and terrestrial — are headed for Oregon beaches this spring and Jim Rice would like a word with the humans. Rice, stranding program manager for Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute, is the guy who gets the call when people stumble on seals and sea lions — the charismatic megafauna that can