Humpback Whale Found On Jersey Shore’s Likely Cause Of Death Revealed

LONG BRANCH, NJ - A 27-foot long dead whale that washed ashore in Long Branch last week was likely killed as a result of a crash with a vessel, researchers said.

The carcass of the subadult male humpback whale, who has been observed in New Jersey waters “frequently,” was reported to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center on Aug. 12.

With the help of Long Branch and Monmouth County services, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center and the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society were able to complete a necropsy on the whale, which found suspected blunt force trauma to the mammal’s head and neck region.

“The cause of death from field examination is suspected blunt force trauma consistent with a vessel strike,” the Marine Mammal Stranding Center said in a statement.

Original story: Dead Whale Washed Ashore In Long Branch Aug. 12

“Our entire team is deeply saddened by the death of this beautiful whale that we have come to know as a resilient individual who, after enduring a devastating injury, was able to adapt to his compromised fluke and carry on,” researchers from the organization said.

The same whale was seen in October with one side of its tail fluke severed, an injury that is also consistent with a vessel strike.

Additional samples were collected from the whale for histopathologic analysis, researchers said. The humpback whale was later buried on the beach.

40 dolphins and ten whales - nine humpbacks and one pygmy sperm whale - have been found dead on or near the Jersey Shore this year, according to a report from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center. Many of the whales showed evidence of collisions with vessels.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration already said in this statement that New York/New Jersey is seeing an increase in whale deaths since 2015; they call what's happening an "unusual mortality event."

NOAA said they are not sure what is causing the increase in whale deaths off of New York and New Jersey. NOAA, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Marine Mammal Commission all said there is no evidence linking offshore wind activity to whale deaths.

“As of August 2023, no offshore wind-related construction activities have taken place in waters off the New Jersey coast, and DEP is aware of no credible evidence that offshore wind-related survey activities could cause whale mortality,” reads a statement on the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s website. “While DEP has no reason to conclude that whale mortality is attributable to offshore wind-related activities, DEP will continue to monitor.”

Instead, the DEP points to rising ocean temperatures as a factor adversely affecting whale populations, forcing pods to move to new areas where conditions are more favorable. Similarly to recent increased shark activity near land, whales “may be drawn into conflict with human activities, such as vessel strikes that may increase whale mortality,” the DEP said.