A necropsy has been completed on a dead grey whale found floating between Sidney Island and James Island near Victoria on Thursday.
While the cause of death has not been released, a Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) spokesperson tells CTV News the male mammal's death was not the result of a ship strike.
A Canadian Coast Guard patrol vessel towed the carcass to the DFO's Institute of Ocean Sciences in Sidney on Friday where the necropsy was performed.
"The results of necropsies feed into a growing body of knowledge to assist in assessing the threats to whales from a population health perspective," said Paul Cottrell, the DFO's regional marine mammal coordinator.
"This data allows us to look at trends, pathogens, or other indicators that may affect their life history."
