ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — Officials are trying to figure out why another dead humpback whale washed up on the Jersey Shore over the weekend. This is the third one since the start of December.
The whale was discovered near Mississippi Avenue in Atlantic City on Saturday, Jan. 7. It follows a similar discovery in Atlantic City, on the beach near Chelsea Avenue, on Friday, Dec. 23, and another in Strathmere on Saturday, Dec. 10.
“This one is in a little better shape. The last one was a little more decomposed. And the one that was in Strathmere in the beginning of December was very badly decomposed,” said Shelia Dean, director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine.
“It’s a shame. They are a federally protected and endangered animal. The NOAA Fisheries is very interested in what’s happening with these whales.”
Dean said the Stranding Center collects tissue samples to investigate the cause of death every time, but they don’t always get a definitive answer.
“This is what’s called an ‘unusual mortality event,’” she said.
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Dean said it’s not incredibly uncommon for dead whales to wash ashore like this. And it’s likely caused by a shift in ocean currents.
“It kind of goes in cycles,” she said. “Look back over the years and — you know, one year we had eight whales. The following year we had no whales. It just depends on the currents. There’s many animals, probably, out there floating.”
After investigators have done their work, Dean said, the standard practice is to bury the carcass on the beach with heavy machinery.