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Endangered whale washed up dead on beach in Long Branch
LONG BRANCH — An endangered Fin whale has washed up dead on the beach in Seven Presidents' Park, park officials said today.
The whale, which is about 40 feet long, was found by rangers upon opening the park this morning, said Senior Park Manager Mark Borchert.
Borchert said experts from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine were on the scene awaiting the arrival of equipment that will help them stabilize the mammal, which is currently rolling in the surf.
He said individuals from the Stranding Center will then conduct a necropsy on site to try to determine the cause of the whale's death.
Sheila Dean of the Stranding Center said the Center currently had little information, but said that the whale was significantly decomposed when it was found.
She encouraged Jersey Shore residents to visit the Center's Web site -- www.marinemammalstrandingcenter.org -- where they can learn more about strandings and what to do if they find an animal in distress.
A Fish and Wildlife representative said they might be closing the beach in that area for swimmers because they are worried that the oils and scents from the decaying whale may attract sharks for miles around. I'd stay away from that area if you are planning a trip to the beach with the family.
Humpback whale at Sandy Hook
NYTimes
02/25/2009
A humpback whale has become entangled in fishing gear about eight miles offshore in New York waters, the Coast Guard said on Wednesday. Until the team from Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies in New England arrives at the spot, near Sandy Hook, N.J., on Thursday, the Coast Guard has established a 500-yard safety zone around the stranded whale, which it announced via Twitter.
The Coast Guard boat first arrived at the scene around 12:30 p.m., which is close to the approach to the Ambrose Channel. It is not clear when the whale became entangled. The whale is about 25 to 30 feet long, and reportedly visible on the surface and breathing, said Barbara Patton, a Coast Guard spokeswoman said. However, the entanglement could be considered life-threatening.
Attached Imageshttp://www.stripersonline.com/surfta...1&d=1235601369
Dead whale on Monmouth Beach?
Anyone see this whale before they carted it away?
http://www.app.com/article/20090727/...Monmouth+Beach
Dead humpback whale washes up in Monmouth Beach
Fraidy Reiss • July 27, 2009
MONMOUTH BEACH — A dead humpback whale washed up on the beach here.
However, because of the tide and the inopportune location, authorities cannot immediately perform a necropsy to find out more about the whale and why it died, said Jay Pagel, senior field technician for the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine.
"There's not much we can do about it until tomorrow," Pagel said Monday.
Until then, beachgoers should remain at least 100 yards away from the humpback whale, an endangered species protected under federal law, he said.
"We don't want people touching it or messing with it," Pagel said.
A whale on the beach is not uncommon, he added. Dead whales visit the Jersey shore a couple of times a year.
http://cmsimg.app.com/apps/pbcsi.dll...W=318&Border=0
A dead humpback whale washed ashore in Monmouth Beach Monday morning.