Local Voices
Humpback Whale Washes Up On Rockaway Beach
The whale was first spotted floating off the coast Monday evening by the U.S. Coast Guard.
ROCKAWAY, QUEENS — A huge humpback whale was found washed up on Rockaway Beach near 117th Street Tuesday.
U.S. Coast Guard officials said they first saw the 25-to-30-foot, 25-ton mammal floating nine miles south of the coast on Monday evening.
The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society said its body was washed ashore overnight. It is working with New York City Sanitation and the Office of Emergency Management to perform a necropsy on the whale to determine the cause of death.
Find out what's happening in Queensfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
But due to the high tides, the team isn't expected to be able to get to the body until later Tuesday or Wednesday.
A 25 foot dead whale washed up on Rockaway Beach, Queens this morning. @amseasorg is responding to the scene. Video courtesy Greg Maggio. pic.twitter.com/cvBLkvW9CZ
— ABC7NY NewsDesk (@ABC7NYNewsDesk) April 4, 2017
Photo via commons.wikimedia.org by user, russavia
Find out what's happening in Queensfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
