blue whale Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Lots of whales spotted around offshore wind farm zones along West Coast

By Tom Banse December 20, 2022

Northwest scientists are looking into the possible impacts that offshore wind farms might have on marine wildlife.

The federal government has commissioned Oregon State University to look into the possible impacts of offshore wind farms on marine wildlife. In the first year of this four-year project, the researchers spotted sizable numbers of seabirds and whales — including the largest animal on Earth — in the Oregon and Northern California areas that could one day host floating wind farms.Read More

Whale-Come To Washington! Biggest Animal On Earth Spotted Off Northwest Coast

By Tom Banse August 12, 2019

This blue whale was spotted by a Cascadia Research team about 17 nautical miles northwest of Grays Harbor, Washington, in late July. CREDIT: JOHN CALAMBOKIDIS / CASCADIA RESEARCH

A whale expert is reporting a rare sighting of blue whales off the Washington state coast. The largest animals on the planet have also been sighted in unusual numbers offshore of Oregon this summer.Read More

Scientists Sunk A Rare Blue Whale Skeleton. Now They Need Money To Bring It Back Up

By Tom Banse August 20, 2018

An OSU team salvaged the bones from this blue whale in late 2015. CREDIT: OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY

There’s a set of massive whale bones resting on the bottom of the bay in Newport, Oregon. Scientists from Oregon State University put them there with a plan for a future display on shore. But they’re having trouble finding the money to retrieve the rare blue whale skeleton from beneath the waves.Read More