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Scenes from the Sun'aq Tribe collecting gray whale baleen

KMXT | By Brian Venua
Published July 11, 2025 at 8:30 AM AKDT
A small creek separates Surfer's Beach from the road.
Brian Venua
/
KMXT
A small creek separates Surfer's Beach from the road.

Tribal and federal staff collected baleen from the young gray whale that washed up on Surfer's Beach late last month in part to study it. The rest of the corpse is still on the beach near the parking lot.

Editor's note: This photo essay depict graphic images. Viewer discretion is advised.

Pam Foreman (right) trims pieces of the whale's head as biologists prepare to tie line to the skull. The plan was to move the head to access the baleen, which got buried.
Brian Venua
/
KMXT
Pam Foreman (right) trims pieces of the whale's head as biologists prepare to tie line to the skull. The plan was to move the head to access the baleen, which got buried.
Matt Van Daele uses a long pole to try to separate baleen from the rest of the gray whale's skull.
Brian Venua
/
KMXT
Matt Van Daele uses a long pole to try to separate baleen from the rest of the gray whale's skull.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration staff uses a work side-by-side to pull one side of the jaw away from the corpse.
Brian Venua
/
KMXT
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration staff uses a work side-by-side to pull one side of the jaw away from the corpse.
The team needed to dig more of the snout out to
Brian Venua
/
KMXT
The team needed to dig more of the snout out to attach a line and move the head.
After getting the whale's right baleen, they used the side-by-side again to access its left side.
Brian Venua
/
KMXT
After getting the whale's right baleen, they used the side-by-side again to access its left side.
Biologists estimated the baleen alone weighed about 70-80 pounds as they carried it to the side-by-side.
Brian Venua
/
KMXT
Biologists estimated the baleen alone weighed about 70-80 pounds as they carried it to the side-by-side.
The NOAA vehicle carried the baleen across a shallow part of the river at the entrance to Surfer's Beach.
Brian Venua
/
KMXT
The NOAA vehicle carried the baleen across a shallow part of the river at the entrance to Surfer's Beach.
Sun'aq Tribe biologists clean sand and gravel out of the baleen.
Brian Venua
/
KMXT
Sun'aq Tribe biologists clean sand and gravel out of the baleen.
Biologists use the creek's current to simulate the baleen filtering water, similar to how the gray whale might have fed itself.
Brian Venua
/
KMXT
Biologists use the creek's current to simulate the baleen filtering water, similar to how the gray whale might have fed itself.
Tribal and federal officials load baleen into a NOAA truck. Tribe staff say the plan is to display it in a future cultural or education center.
Brian Venua
/
KMXT
Tribal and federal officials load baleen into a NOAA truck. Tribe staff say the plan is to display it in a future cultural or education center.

Editor's note: a previous version of this story used "harvest" in both the headline and description, and could be misconstrued the baleen would be for non-scientific use. It was updated to use "collect" and add clarity.

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Brian Venua
Born and raised in Dillingham, Brian Venua graduated from Gonzaga University before ultimately returning to Alaska. He moved to Kodiak and joined KMXT in 2022. Venua has since won awards for the newsroom as both a writer and photojournalist, with work focused on strengthening community, breaking down complex topics, and sharing stories of and for the people of the Kodiak Archipelago.
See stories by Brian Venua
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