7th Whale Washes Up Dead At Jersey Shore

7th Whale Washes Up Dead At Jersey Shore

Another whale washed ashore in Brigantine, New Jersey, as environmentalists and opponents of offshore wind call for a federal investigation into the recent deaths of several whales in the area. According to officials, a 20-foot juvenile whale was found about half a mile from the United States Coast Guard station on Thursday afternoon.

This is now the seventh whale that has washed up on our shores in the past few months. Usually, this activity is only seen once every few years so to see this many is very concerning for Jersey Shore locals.

The most recent one was a 33-foot humpback whale in Atlantic City on January 9th

The Marine Mammal Stranding Center will perform a necropsy on this new whale and send samples to pathologists and researchers to determine the cause of death.

This comes as environmental groups from New Jersey and New York are urging President Joe Biden to approve a probe into the deaths of six whales in the area and to halt work at an offshore wind farm until the findings are released.

The center has responded to two previous whale deaths, and the director, Shelia Dean, says the causes are still pending as they await post-mortem test results. However, Dean notes that many factors could be contributing to the deaths, such as underwater sonar use by the military, plastic pollution, and the risk of collisions with ships.

Brigantine Mayor Vince Sera released a statement, expressing his concern and calling for a full investigation. He urged local, state, and federal authorities to prioritize the protection and conservation of marine mammal life and to stop all work related to offshore wind activity until necropsy results can be obtained and studied.

He emphasized the need to understand the cause of these deaths and how to prevent future losses.

Marine Mammal Stranding Center released a statement on Facebook that reads;

‘On January 12th at 4:50pm the Marine Mammal Stranding Center received a call for a deceased Humpback whale on the North End beach of Brigantine. When MMSC staff arrived, they found the 20-25 foot long carcass upside down in the surf. Due to the incoming tide and low light last night, staff returned at daybreak this morning to take photos. After a conference call with NOAA Fisheries and Greater Atlantic Region Stranding Network members to work out logistics, plans are underway for a necropsy to be performed on the animal.”

The MMSC continued by saying that these tests do take several months to come back before a cause of death can be determined.

Due to the animal’s location and size, most likely it will be buried in the coming days.

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