Minke Whale Deaths Spark Inquiry: NOAA

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Wednesday declared the deaths of 29 minke whales on the Atlantic Coast in 2017 an 'Unusual Mortality Event.' According to Teri Rowles, marine mammal health and stranding program coordinator, the stranded whales were found between Maine and South Carolina, but the most turned up between Maine and New York. The biggest increase from past years was in the New York area. The announcement means an investigation has started into the reasons the minke whales died.

Asked what's different from past years when, by comparison, 13 minke whales were stranded in 2016 and 13 in 2015, the experts said in 2017 the whales were in the wrong place at the wrong time. But it's too early to say why. Scientists are looking at everything from the biology to the environment. They're studying the whales' locations and documenting everything that's changed in those areas.

The minke whales are known to travel between Maine and Florida.

Eight deaths are believed to be due to infectious diseases. Eleven were attributed to "human interaction," with nine connected to fisheries and two from blunt force trauma. Five carcasses were not recovered, and six were only documented, meaning photographs and measurements were provided but no post-mortem tests.

NOAA also is studying right whales and humpback whales, which also suffered Unusual Mortality Events.

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Courtesy Photo: Hampton Bays Fire Department