According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a necropsy revealed the whale may have suffered a ship strike due to the blunt-force trauma it appeared to have.

A 26-foot humpback whale that was found deceased and entangled in commercial mussel-farming gear this week off Huntington Beach washed ashore Saturday morning just south of the city pier.

These animals don’t frequently wash up on Huntington Beach’s shores. Agencies are looking into the cause of death of the young whale.

A deceased humpback whale washed ashore near the Huntington Beach Pier last week, prompting an investigation from wildlife officials.