Dead whale found under ferry dock in Seattle

SEATTLE — A dead whale has turned up under the Washington state ferry terminal in downtown Seattle.

A Washington State Ferries spokeswoman, Susan Harris-Huether, says it was found just before 11 p.m. Wednesday. She says it’s about 25 feet to 30 feet long and people report the smell is “not good.”

Harris says it is under one of three slips at the Colman Dock terminal, but ferry service Thursday is not affected.

A spokesman with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday that officials believe the whale may have been there for about a week. Michael Milstein says it’s not known yet why the animal died, how it get there or other details.

He says NOAA will work with ferry officials and the marine mammal stranding network to move the animal to a site where a necropsy can be conducted.

Milstein says NOAA officials want to learn as much about the whale as it can.