Humpback whale washes up in Long Beach; necropsy underway
Federal and state investigators are examining the death of a juvenile humpback whale that washed ashore Monday morning in Long Beach.
Long Beach police reported the whale was found dead on the beach near Roosevelt Boulevard. The area around the mammal was cordoned off and a necropsy was being done to determine how it died.
Once investigators are finished, the whale will be buried on the beach.
It is the first humpback death reported off New York beaches this year, according to NOAA Fisheries. There were 11 humpback deaths reported last year, NOAA Fisheries' website says. The deaths are being investigated as part of an "unusual mortality event" that has led to the deaths of 45 humpback whales off New York since 2016. There have been more than 200 humpback deaths on the East Coast since then, according to marine biologists.
The discovery of the humpback on Monday came after a smaller minke whale was first reported dead Saturday in the surf near Tobay Beach. Officials believe that minke then washed out to sea before washing ashore Monday at Sore Thumb Beach, near Gilgo State Park. State park officials said a necropsy on the whale was planned for Tuesday morning.
Both whales' deaths are being investigated by the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, also known as AMSEAS; the Town of Oyster Bay Marine Patrol; New York State Parks; New York State Department of Environmental Conservation; and NOAA Fisheries.
Officials with the Hampton Bays-based AMSEAS have said they are also investigating an increased number of minke whale deaths off the East Coast since 2017 as part of a separate unusual mortality event. There have been four minke deaths off New York this year and 29 since the mortality event began.
AMSEAS officials previously said the minke whale deaths were likely caused by illness or biological conditions, while experts have noted an increase in boat strikes that have killed other whales.
Anyone who comes across a sick, injured or dead whale, dolphin, seal or sea turtle should report it to the New York State Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Hotline at 631-369-9829.
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
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