A dead whale washed ashore Friday, April 11, near the Huntington Beach Pier.

A team from the Pacific Marine Mammal Center responded early Saturday and a necropsy was performed, said Glenn Gray, CEO of the Laguna Beach-based program.

The cause of the female gray whale’s death was not known, he said.

The whale washed up Friday near Tower 7 and the area was cordoned off by Huntington Beach Marine Safety, said Jennifer Carey, spokesperson for the city.

Carey said Huntington Beach Marine Safety measured the whale’s length at 25 feet, but Dr. Alissa Deming, lead veterinarian at PMMC, said she measured the whale at 45 feet while doing the necropsy.

Deming said there was no apparent cause of death and that the whale appeared to have been in good health before she died. She also said it’s unlikely the whale’s death is related to the current toxic algae bloom that is sickening and killing dolphins and sea lions.

“We will be testing to rule it out,” she said. “ Gray whales typically do not eat during their migration, so it’s lower down on our differential list, but certainly worth looking into.”

A full report will be released once all data has been processed and reviewed, said Deming, who did the necropsy with Keith Matassa of the Ocean Animal Response & Research Alliance.

Huntington Beach’s Public Works Department has received authorization from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and PMMC to bury the whale on Sunday morning, Carey said.

NOAA officials said decisions on the burial of the carcass are made by the landowner where the carcass is found.

While there is no required depth to bury the carcass, typically it is buried above the high tide line to avoid being uncovered, said Michael Milstein, spokesperson for NOAA.

OrangeCountyOutdoors posted video on its Instagram page of the whale as the waves pushed it ashore Friday evening.

Last weekend, a minke whale was found dead in Long Beach’s Rainbow Harbor. It had been swimming in the inner harbor for several days prior.