A dead fin whale washed ashore on Sunset Beach in Clatsop County, Ore., on Feb. 7, 2026.
Tiffany Boothe/Seaside Aquarium
A 46-foot-long fin whale washed ashore in Clatsop County on the Oregon coast Saturday morning. Officials from the Seaside Aquarium said the whale had already been dead for some time before washing up on the beach.
Fin whales are one of the largest whale species in the world, known for their incredibly long and slender bodies. Aquarium officials said that only the blue whale — the largest mammal on earth — is bigger.
A cause of death for the whale was not immediately identified. A necropsy, where a team of scientists collects samples of the whale to determine the cause of death, will take place sometime next week, according to the aquarium.
Last November, a humpback whale became beached near Yachats while it was still alive, kicking off a scramble by residents to push it back into the ocean. Rescue workers were not able to save the humpback before it died on the sand.
It’s illegal for regular citizens to touch a live whale while it’s stuck on land, and experts say trying to do so is extremely dangerous.
