A decomposing humpback whale found floating through Long Island’s Shinnecock Inlet on Thursday afternoon is the latest casualty in an unusually long list of whales that have died in New York and New Jersey’s waters this year.
The whale had to be towed back out to sea so that it could be beached west of the inlet, according to Southampton Town Police.
A necropsy will be performed to determine how the whale died, and it will then be buried.
Photos of the mammoth creature surfaced on Facebook, garnering sympathy and worry from local residents.
User Chris Paparo, who photographs sea life for an account called Fish Guy Photos, shot footage of the whale being eaten by a great white shark on Wednesday, before it floated through the inlet.
The whale’s death comes after a concerning number of whale casualties along the East Coast this winter. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, reported 23 dead whales in the area from December to late February, with 12 of them found in waters off New York and New Jersey. Several more have emerged since then, though officials didn’t immediately provide an exact count.
Multiple factors may be contributing to the spike, but the debate itself has been mired in misinformation. Many of the dead animals have been found with strike wounds from ships, indicating that increased cargo shipping may be partly to blame. Changing feeding patterns due to global warming could also be contributing, as whales come closer to shore than normal to eat.
While NOAA says the population of humpbacks has grown since commercial whaling became illegal in 1985, the species still faces significant threats from entanglement in fishing gear and vessel strikes.
“Biologists across multiple organizations are currently assessing their resources to respond,” NOAA said in a statement about the Shinnecock whale and another dead humpback found floating in Raritan Bay off Staten Island.
NOAA is encouraging anyone who sees a dead or distressed marine mammal to call the New York Stranding Hotline, the NJ Mammal Stranding Hotline, or the NOAA’s own hotline at 866-755-6622.
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