Pygmy whale that stranded on Long Beach Island is euthanized
LONG BEACH TOWNSHIP ‐ The Loveladies section is the latest site of a whale death, where an adult female pygmy sperm whale stranded on the beach at Seaview Drive on Tuesday.
That now makes 13 whales to die on the New Jersey coast since Dec. 1, which has stoked fierce political debate over what is sending these whales to their graves. The cause of this latest whale's death has not yet been determined, though the results of a necropsy are pending. The majority of prior whales deaths have likely been caused by vessel strikes, according to a cadre of marine scientists studying the issue.
According to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, the pygmy whale was still alive when it was discovered on the wet sand but it was very lethargic, unresponsive and had labored breathing.
Lifeguards from the Long Beach Township Beach Patrol helped make the animal as comfortable as possible by keeping her upright and wet as she lay on the beach. With the help of the lifeguards, public works staff and members of the public, the 10-foot 9-inch long whale, weighing over 800lbs, was carried in a stretcher and lifted up into a Department of Public Works truck to be moved off the beach to the center's transport vehicle where it was rushed to the center's veterinarian.
However, the whale was ultimately euthanized. The center said her prognosis was extremely poor, and she was unlikely to survive.
More: How dead whales became the symbol of a political battle in NJ and elsewhere
"The impact of stranding on cetaceans (dolphins and whales) is traumatic as their body weight and organs are normally supported by the water around them. When a cetacean is stranded for any length of time, their own body weight causes crushing damage to their internal organs, which lessens their chances of survival. The decision was made to humanely euthanize the whale to prevent further suffering," the center said in a statement.
The pygmy sperm whale was then taken to the state's Department of Agriculture's Animal Health Diagnostic Lab in Trenton for the necropsy. The lab will be following the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's protocols for sampling freshly deceased cetaceans and preserving samples for analysis of the ears and other organs.
Pygmy sperm whales are rarely sport close to shore as they prefer feeding at depths of over 1,000 feet. They have periodically stranded on the shore lines here. In fact, the first whale to strand on Dec. 1 was a pygmy whale that washed up on the Bay Shore in Middletown.
Since that initial stranding, a dozen more whales have stranded on the coast with many activists pointing the finger at offshore wind farm activities. NOAA has maintained that there is no evidence that marine animal deaths are related to the ocean floor mapping for offshore wind development currently happening off the coast.
More: As wind becomes a partisan issue, support for offshore farms plunges in NJ: Poll
"There is no scientific evidence that noise resulting from offshore wind site characterization surveys could potentially cause mortality of whales," NOAA personnel wrote on the agency's website. "There are no known links between recent large whale mortalities and ongoing offshore wind surveys."
Nonetheless, a recent Monmouth University poll shows that support for offshore wind energy has plummeted across New Jersey since February, goaded by political divisions and claims that seafloor mapping for future wind turbines could lead to whale deaths along New Jersey.
When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him @danielradelapp; 732-643-4072; dradel@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Pygmy whale that stranded on Long Beach Island is euthanized
