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When a 47-foot-long, deceased whale washed up on a beach near Anchorage in November 2024, a team of biologists from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries and 麻豆无码版 Veterinary Pathology Services (AVPS) arrived on the scene the following day to inspect the carcass. The team determined the carcass was from a two-year-old fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus). 

Over the next three days, responders cut into the whale to perform a necropsy, but had only partial success due to the freezing temperatures. , the conditions 鈥済reatly limited evaluation of the carcass and the scientists鈥� ability to examine the bones and tissues.鈥� 

In March, a more thorough necropsy was completed by a group of volunteers to remove the whale鈥檚 bones for future display at the Museum of 麻豆无码版 Transportation and Industry in Wasilla. 

During the March necropsy, a group of nine students in Kenai Peninsula College (KPC)鈥檚 (SBB) program had the opportunity to participate in the necropsy and gain first-hand experience in marine biology. The SBB鈥檚 spring semester program offers a 鈥溾�� to an occupational endorsement certificate (OEC) in conservation ecology. The program is based at KPC鈥檚 Kachemak Bay campus in Homer and is open to students from all institutions. 

The SBB students were led by Debbie Boege-Tobin, Ph.D., professor of biology at KPC. Natalie Rouse, a stranding coordinator and necropsy technician with AVPS, led the necropsy. Rouse completed her M.S. degree at UAA in 2018. 

Preparations and precautions

The SBB students and other volunteers needed to undergo extensive preparations and take precautions prior to the necropsy. 

Amiah Jared, a senior in environmental science at the UAA Anchorage campus, was one of the nine students selected to join KPC鈥檚 spring 2025 SBB program and participate in the fin whale necropsy. 

鈥淢arine mammals are very protected,鈥� Jared explained. 鈥淵ou can't just go out and take the tail if you want to.鈥�

Jared credits Rouse with taking the necessary procedural steps, including gaining approval from NOAA Fisheries. 鈥淚 never realized quite how much paperwork was behind it,鈥� said Jared. 鈥淸Rouse] led this movement, got all the paperwork finished and assembled all the crews of volunteers. We had to do a six-hour training before we got to go down and help with the whale.鈥� 

While earlier for avian influenza and the bacteria Francisella tularemia, the SBB students still underwent thorough safety preparations before the necropsy. 

鈥淚n the necropsy training we did, we had a lot of information about what bacteria can be found in the mouth versus what bacteria can be found in other parts of the body, and which ones are the biggest of concerns,鈥� Jared said. 鈥淎nd, if you see any of the symptoms arising, how can we take care of that until EMS arrives.鈥�

Jared and the other SBB students donned personal protective equipment (PPE) to participate in the necropsy. 

鈥淢ost of us were wearing one piece suits that zip up and eye protection and masks. We all obviously had gloves on,鈥� said Jared. 鈥淸We] don't know what caused the death or what could still be there [...] You definitely want to make sure that [everyone] understands the risks and understands the proper cleanup procedures afterward for the equipment and for any clothing that might be contaminated.鈥�

Dissecting a whale

Originally from Hillsboro, Oregon, Jared witnessed whale necropsies while growing up near the Pacific Ocean. 鈥淚 grew used to seeing beached whales and, if I was so lucky, the teams of scientists who made their way down to the animals to necropsy them and make discoveries for the scientific community,鈥� Jared . 

While Jared had dissected other animals before, none came close to the 47-foot-long whale. 鈥淭he biggest thing I had dissected before the fin whale necropsy was a shark, and it was probably only like two feet long,鈥� said Jared. 

The SBB students used fillet knives to remove blubber and tissue from the carcass in order to reach the skeleton. 

鈥淲e had to have multiple people sharpening the knives the whole day we were doing the necropsy because they got dull really quick,鈥� said Jared. 鈥淲e were cutting chunks of blubber and muscle and tissue out, and then we hauled them away to let the rising tide take care of them. It was really interesting to see all the different layers of the tissue and the marbling. It was incredibly well preserved.鈥�

鈥淚 didn't know that fin whales are the second biggest whales on the planet,鈥� Jared said. 鈥淭hey usually get up to like 80-feet long, 90-feet long. So, looking back, it was a massive endeavor [...] I can't imagine trying to make that happen with a 90-foot whale.鈥�