Marine biologists are investigating what caused two dead whales to wash up in one day on Long Island beaches about 20 miles from one another this week.
In the first case, a 28-foot female humpback whale that washed up in Long Beach on Monday suffered injuries consistent with vessel strike, according to the Hampton Bays-based Atlantic Marine Conservation Society (AMCS). Also on Monday, an 18-foot immature female minke whale that washed up dead at Sore Thumb Beach on the east end of Jones Beach Island showed evidence of an infectious disease, the agency added.
“Soft tissue trauma was documented, and the samples that were able to be collected will be sent to laboratories for further analysis,” AMCS wrote of the humpback whale. Samples collected from the minke whale are also being tested.
AMCS noted that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are investigating two concurrent unusual mortality events in which an uptick in humpback and minke whale deaths in the Atlantic Ocean off the East Coast has been reported in recent years.
Minke whales are a federally protected species that can grow up to 35-feet long and 20,000 pounds while humpback whales are a threatened species that can grow up to 60-feet long and 25-to-40 tons, according to NOAA. Both have a lifespan of 50 years.
To report a sick, injured or deceased whale, dolphin, seal, or sea turtle to the NYS Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Hotline, call at 631-369-9829.
