WHALE OF A MYSTERY GENTLE GIANTS FLOCKING TO FEED ON KRILL ARE PUT ON A COLLISION COURSE WITH PACKED SHIPPING LANES -- WITH FATAL RESULTS.

Byline: SUSAN ABRAM and DANA BARTHOLOMEW

Staff Writers

VENTURA -- Ten times more blue whales than normal are gobbling up krill this year in the heavily trafficked shipping lanes off the Southern California coast -- a lethal scenario for Earth's largest creature.

Scientists should learn today what killed the third blue whale in two weeks, but most suspect that the dead mammal -- towed to Naval Base Ventura County- Point Mugu late Friday -- was hit by a ship.

"A ship strike is suspected because of the last one (in Ventura), and the previous one in Long Beach, but until we access the animal, it would not be right to speculate," said Easter Moorman, a spokeswoman for the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.

Zoologists and marine experts from the museum will spend the early part of the morning taking skin tests, analyzing the stomach contents and extracting blood from the blue whale found floating within the Santa Barbara Channel early this week.

Some speculation indicated the animal had been hit by a passing ship, based on a necropsy of a whale that washed ashore in Ventura County last week. Scientists also suspect that a ship killed another one that floated toward the Long Beach Harbor earlier this month, but studies were never done on it.

Local boaters, fishermen and cruise operators say an abundance of krill -- a tiny, shrimplike creature that is a major food source of several marine animals and birds -- has drawn dozens more blue whales into the channel.

"Normally we see a few whales in June, July and August, but for the first time, we are seeing 50 to 60 whales in September," said Cherryl Connally, co-owner of the family-operated Island Packers, which provides guided tours and whale-watching excursions off the Channel Islands.

Alex Broadie, Island Packers fleet manager, said he isn't surprised by the deadly collisions, given the feeding frenzy going on 100 miles offshore.

"It's like a freeway out there with these big ships, and the whales that are out there feeding on krill," he said.

Blue whales are the largest mammals in the world. Just spotting one of the gentle giants on an excursion can be a rare and memorable experience, Connally said.

"People are in awe," she said.

Tourists on whale-watching boats spotted sharks feeding on the giant floating mammal that had become stuck within the Santa Barbara Channel on Friday.

Scientists later arranged to have it towed to Point Mugu. Witness accounts estimate the whale is up to 70 feet long, but its sex is still officially unknown, Moorman said.

Some 2,000 to 3,000 of the massive mammals -- up to one-quarter of the worldwide population of blue whales -- have been feeding off West Coast waters.

While some blame ships for the deaths, others say demoic acid caused by algae blooms might have caused the whales to become sick and hampered their ability to steer clear of large vessels.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has said sonar use from U.S. naval ships is not a factor in this case, Moorman said.

Less likely, considering the high number of whale carcases found in the past two weeks, were deaths from natural causes. About 5 percent of the blue population dies each year. In eastern Pacific waters, that means up to 150 whales from Mexico to Canada.

"In this short period of time, it's unusual to have three (known deaths)," said Jay Barlow, head of the marine-mammal program for the National Marine Fisheries Service. "We usually have one blue whale a year wash on the beach off Southern California."

Bruce Mate, a marine biologist who performed the necropsy of the blue whale beached last week near Ventura, said a ship definitely caused the death.

In addition, a ship's bow likely killed the whale pushed into Long Beach Harbor. That whale was later towed out to sea and is believed to be the same one that washed ashore near Ensenada in Baja California.

Still, Mate suspected that demoic acid -- which has recently killed large numbers of sea lions and dolphins -- has disabled the whales.

"I think these animals are being disadvantaged in some way, making them more vulnerable to ship strike," said Mate, head of the Marine Mammal Institute at Oregon State University. "(A whale is more likely to be harmed) if it can't pay attention, or hear well, or get out of the way, or if its muscles don't work well."

Mate said that, as waters have warmed off Southern California, algae blooms have become more common and prolific. Scientists believe nitrogen resulting from coastal runoff of fertilizer and common detergents has contributed to the blooms.

"We're washing our clothes, the water goes down the sink and eventually out in the ocean. So we are fertilizing plants that may not be good for us or other mammals," he said.

Until researchers determine the causes of death for the whales, officials with the nonprofit Marine Exchange of Southern California have advised crew of incoming vessels to stay alert as they maneuver through the ship lines.

"We are talking with the fisheries groups and we're telling all ship agents to be aware of the situation," said Capt. Dick Mckenna, executive director for the organization.

"We understand that there are large groups of whales. We're advising them accordingly to be on the lookout."

susan.abram(at)dailynews.com

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CAPTION(S):

photo, box, map

Photo:

(color) Scientists should learn today what killed this whale, but most suspect that the mammal -- towed to Naval Base Ventura County-Point Mugu late Friday -- was hit by a ship.

Todd Jacobs/NOAA

Box/Map:

Blue Whale Migration Route

Sources: Whales: "A Visual Introduction to Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises"; "West Coast Whale Watching"; American Cetacean Society

Warren Huskey/Staff Artist