Mariners urged to avoid whale carcass off Jones Beach Inlet

Mariners were urged Wednesday to avoid a large whale carcass last seen drifting about 6.5 nautical miles southeast of Jones Beach Inlet.

U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Bradley Nelson said the whale was first reported by a passing tanker shortly after 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Rachel Bosworth, spokeswoman for the Hampton Bays-based Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, urged anyone who sees the carcass to report its location.

The group conducts necropsies to determine the cause of death.