Whale washes up on West Coast

A dead grey whale found beached near Victoria could prove to be a valuable specimen for researchers, says a marine scientist from the area.

The nine-metre whale, which is a protected species, was discovered Sunday on the shore in Sooke, on the west side of Vancouver Island.

It's still not clear why the whale became beached or why it died.

Determining the cause of death can give researchers a good indication of the species' overall health, said Laura Verhegge, a marine scientist at Pearson College in Victoria.

"It lets you know what's affecting grey whale populations," Verhegge said in an interview.

It appears the grey whale died before it was beached and might have washed ashore because of high winds over the weekend, said Russ Nicks, a local whale-watching guide who's seen the dead animal.

"There were a lot of injuries to the animal that probably happened after it died, getting thrashed against the rocks," he said.

Nicks said the sight of a dead whale is a rare event in the area, because carcasses usually sink to the ocean floor, where scavengers like crabs are treated to a feast.

If the carcass isn't claimed by a college or museum, an alternative is to return the remains to the ocean.

"The other option is to pull it out to sea, let it sink and let nature take its course," Nicks said.