Officials say the body of a whale about 25 feet long was discovered Thursday lodged under Pier 27. A spokesman from the Marine Mammal Center says it appears to be a young gray whale.

The Coast Guard says the carcass is not posing a hazard to bay traffic. Still, dock workers noticed a strange smell days ago.

At this point, it's not clear what will happen next. "We're trying to look into finding out how we deal with this, acknowledged Port of San Francisco Deputy Director for Maintenance Tom Carter. "It's an unusual situation."

The scent of the carcass has yet to drift too far, and business owners along the Embarcadero are hopeful that a solution is reached soon. "Pretty concerned considering we're a restaurant and people sit out here on the deck and eat," warned Pier 23 Cafe manager McGurrin Leibert. "Could be very problematic."

Despite their best efforts, onlookers couldn't see much of anything. "I'm very sad to hear that, especially a baby whale separated from its mother, that is sad," one woman along the waterfront said."

KCBS' Chris Filippi reports