Dead Whale Washes Up On Marblehead Beach, 2nd In MA In 1 Day

MARBLEHEAD, MA — A dead humpback whale was spotted washed up on Preston Beach in Marblehead Thursday, the second whale carcass seen in Massachusetts in one day.

The whale was a sub-adult female measuring 41 feet long, NOAA told Patch Friday morning.

NBC Boston shared a photo of the carcass surrounded by crowds of onlookers on nearby rocks.

Seacoast Science Center, Tufts University, town officials, and NOAA Fisheries are working together to evaluate options for examination of the carcass, NOAA said.

Hours earlier, on Thursday morning, a 24-foot minke whale caucus was found on Madequecham Beach along Nantucket's south shore. That whale's carcass will also be examined by officials.

Since 2016, NOAA Fisheries has been investigating an unusual mortality event for large whales in the North Atlantic, according to the agency.

The population of humpback whales in the North Atlantic is not listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act, nor are minke whales in the United States endangered or threatened.

However, all marine mammals are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, officials noted.

"The best way to assist these animals, and keep them and yourself safe, is by calling trained responders and maintaining a 150-foot distance," officials said Friday. "To report strandings of marine mammals and sea turtles in the northeast, call NOAA's stranding hotline to be directed to a trained responder in your area: 866-755-6622."