After numerous agencies, organizations and individuals spent two days trying to help a young humpback whale stranded on a beach just north of Yachats, authorities have reported the whale has been euthanized.
The female whale became stranded on Saturday near San Marine State Park, just north of Yachats in Lincoln County, but moving her out into the surf proved challenging.
On Monday morning, Lisa Ballance from the Marine Mammal Institute at Oregon State University said rescuers attempted to wrap a bridle on her and attach a rope to a boat out at sea, hoping to turn the whale so she was facing the ocean.
Ballance said the rope parted and the bridle slipped off just as high tide approached. At that point, she said a veterinarian was preparing to euthanize the whale. KLCC reported later Monday that authorities confirmed the whale had died.
“It’s a very sad, tragic situation,” Ballance said. “There’s no way to spin this positively. I know the general public is heartbroken.”
“It’s hard to watch, hard to experience,” she said.
In this photo taken around 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, onlookers watch as a crew attends to the stranded humpback whale.
Brianna Bowman / KLCC
Social media posts went out over the weekend on local Facebook pages, asking people to bring their wetsuits, buckets and shovels in an attempt to get the whale out to sea.
The whale appeared to be caught in a fishing net, which had tangled around its fins and mouth. Volunteers stayed with the whale all through the night, trying to get water to the animal during low tide.
By Sunday morning, Oregon State Police arrived and cleared the scene. As of 10 a.m., the whale lay in about a foot of water and was visibly distressed.
Ballance arrived at the scene Sunday morning. At the time, she said that while it’s admirable so many people tried to help the beached mammal, doing so can be extremely dangerous.
The young whale weighed thousands of pounds, and it’s easy for its tail to hit someone or for someone to become pinned down.
Ballance said scientists will perform a necropsy, taking samples of the animal and try to determine a cause of death.
“It will be extremely valuable to science,” she said.
