A necropsy conducted Monday on a harbor porpoise found washed up on a Portage Cove beach in January was inconclusive.
“The carcass was too decomposed to conduct a full necropsy and we were unable to ascertain the cause of death,” said biologist Sadie Wright of the National Marine Fisheries Service.
“We did collect skin samples for genetics testing, and teeth for aging. These data are important for understanding the stock structure of harbor porpoise in Southeast Alaska.”
The porpoise was an adult male that weighed 113 pounds. Its skull and jaw appeared to have been broken after the animal’s death. The carcass had been significantly preyed upon by avian scavengers, Wright said. It was found Jan. 12 near the Chilkat Cruises dock.