Dead Sperm Whale Found On Rockaway Beach

QUEENS — A sperm whale was found dead on at the Rockaway shoreline on Tuesday, the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation said.

The 32-foot female whale was found just after 9 a.m. near Beach 73rd Street, the department said.

“We mourn the loss of this awe-inspiring creature,” a spokesperson for Parks and Recreation said.

The city is working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation to examine and dispose of the whale.

AMSEAS plans to conduct a full necropsy today, according to NOAA.

This whale marks the 6th large whale to strand in New York since October 20, 2022, NOAA said.

One sperm whale was found in Southampton on October 21, and was euthanized and examined by AMSEAS, and another on December 5, that stranded on Gilgo Beach and was pushed back into the water, NOAA said.