Minke Whale Found Washed Ashore In Queens Died From A Vessel Strike

QUEENS — The minke whale that was found on the Rockaway shoreline Friday was likely killed by a vessel collision, NOAA Fisheries said.

A necropsy determined the cause of death to be “blunt force trauma,” with preliminary evidence showing the 25-foot whale died from a vessel strike.

The whale was found near Beach 29th Street Friday about 9 a.m., and biologists examined the whale later that afternoon.

“The animal had several broken bones and cut wounds across its body, all of which were sampled, that appear to have occurred prior to death,” a spokesperson for NOAA said.

The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society posted a photo of the whale on their Facebook page on Friday afternoon.

This is the 5th large whale to strand in New York since December 1 and the 23rd large whale to strand on the east coast since December 1, NOAA said.

Minke Whale fatalities have been increasing since 2017 along the Atlantic coast from Maine through South Carolina, according to NOAA.