Humpback whale carcass washes ashore in Long Beach, New Jersey
A dead humpback whale washed ashore in New Jersey early Thursday morning, officials said.
The mammal, measuring between 20 and 30 feet long, was discovered around 6:45 a.m. near 51st St. Long Beach Township, a small town tucked away on a barrier island along the Jersey Shore.
The whale’s age and gender were unclear and its cause of death has not yet been revealed.
The Marine Mammal Stranding Center confirmed the discovery, posting an image of the humpback’s carcass to social media. It shows waves washing over the whale’s body in the early hours of the morning. It sparked an outpouring of grief in the comment section, with many speculating the sea creature was on the younger side given its size.
The humpback whale, named for the distinct hunch along its spine, can grow up to 60 feet long and weigh up to 40 tons, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries. They can also live to be as old as 90.
Commercial whaling has caused their numbers to dwindle, and humpbacks as a result were labeled endangered under the Endangered Species Conservation Act in 1970 and then under the Endangered Species Act in 1973. As of 2024, four of the 14 distinct population segments are still protected while another is listed as threatened, the NOAA said.
The Marine Mammal Stranding Center — a nonprofit dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of marine animals — said it sent a team to Long Beach. Local authorities also responded to the scene.
By late afternoon, the whale had been moved from the shoreline and disposed of, the Asbury Park Press reported.
It marked the first whale to wash ashore in New Jersey this year, which has also seen 11 dolphins and five porpoises stranded on beaches across the Garden State. Most recently, two dolphins separately landed in Cape May and Sea Isle City on April 4, New Jersey 101.5 reported. Both were described as “moderately decomposed” and scavenged.
In 2023, a total of 17 whales appeared along the Jersey Shore, the radio station reported.
The NOAA’s Fisheries division in recent years has been tracking what it described as as an unusually high number of deaths among humpback whales in the Atlantic Ocean. Since launching its initiative in 2016, the carcasses of 218 humpbacks have been recorded.
While it’s unclear what killed the particular whale found Thursday, scientists have suggested the changing and warming ocean conditions could be bringing them closer to shore in their search of food, which in turn, increases the risk the mammals could be struck by a ship.
