It’s rare to see humpbacks in Turnagain Arm, known for its swift tides and shallow waters.

Our concern has to do with the impact and number of dead whales that might have on our subsistence lifestyle. It is unusual to find so many dead whales.

Dead humpback whale

A dead juvenile female humpback whale near Dolgoi Island

I was flying on Monday and found a giant beached dead humpback whale up on the mudflats near Birchwood. I see belugas all the time but never a humpback.

Tissue from the recent necropsy on a humpback whale remains on Kincaid beach