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Uptick in Oregon whale beachings prompts research and warnings

<p>A right whale dolphin turned up last Friday on Manzanita Beach. Researchers at Portland State University are conducting tests to determine how the animal died.</p>

Tiffany Boothe

A right whale dolphin turned up on Manzanita Beach. Researchers at Portland State University are conducting tests to determine how the animal died.

You can spend a lifetime along the Oregon coast and never get to see a whale. They are out there, in numbers too big to ignore, but you have to look closely for signs of them. Most of the time, anyway.

Now and then a whale washes up on a beach, either dead or nearly so; few beached whales can be safely guided back to deeper water.

In a time of several recent beachings, we get a refresher course in what we know about whale strandings, and how we humans should react, in a visit with Josh Stewart from the Marine Mammal Institute of Oregon State University, and from Chris Havel at Oregon State Parks.

The numbers Chris gave on air for reporting beached or dead animals:

Oregon State University Marine Mammal Institute                                                                  
Stranding Cell Phone: (541) 270-6830
email: stranding@oregonstate.edu
Other email: beach.debris@oregon.gov

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The Jefferson Exchange is Jefferson Public Radio's daily talk show focused on news and interests across our region of Southern Oregon and Northern California. Angela Decker is the senior producer, Charlie Zimmermann is the assistant producer, and Geoffrey Riley hosts the show.