dead whale washes up

[SeaCliff]

they let people back in as soon as they hauled it off the beach that afternoon.

Amazing that the carcass was basically intact, you'd have thought that the sharks would have been all over it. Glad they removed it quickly - dont want it decomposing and leaving a residue in the sand to filter out into the ocean over the coming weeks and attract unwanted visitors to the lineup at some later date...

[sedlis]

they let people back in as soon as they hauled it off the beach that afternoon.

Glad they removed it quickly - dont want it decomposing and leaving a residue in the sand to filter out into the ocean over the coming weeks and attract unwanted visitors to the lineup at some later date...

so you dont want me to drop by?

[HomestarRunner]

I've been lucky enough to see Pilot whales on two different occasions in your backyard SC- I guess I thought it was more common.  My understanding is they do migrate through our area...

Def scary, and it's a wonder that after a week in the water, it hadnt garnered more attention.

I've seen dolphins, seals, turtles, rays, all sorts of fish, but I've never actually seen a whale in the waters near here...always wanted to, but I think we must be slightly off the traditional migratory waters for whales, no? Dont really have to go too far if you think about it, tho - they run whale watching tours off Cape Cod, yet the whales never seem to be seen too much off our coasts here.....although I guess off Montauk it might not be all that uncommon....

[HomestarRunner]

Whale likely killed on impact with ship
Expert: Injuries show animal was alive when hit by vessel

By GRAELYN BRASHEAR • STAFF WRITER • July 8, 2008

LONG BRANCH — The endangered fin whale found dead on the beach in Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park Sunday was likely alive when it was struck by a large ship and fatally injured, said Sheila Dean, co-director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center.

Technicians from the Stranding Center examined the 49-foot whale for several hours after park rangers found the animal Sunday morning.

Dean said they determined that the location of the fracture and the fact that the animal's blood had pooled at the site of the injury suggested the impact was the cause of death.

Dean said the Stranding Center, based in Brigantine, often sees marine life that has been struck by ships, but some of those strikes happen after the animals have died of other causes. She said tissue samples taken from the whale will help scientists understand more about the circumstances of its death.

Park officials closed the beach Sunday while the whale's carcass was studied, finally removed and taken to the county landfill, said Senior Park Manager Mark Borchert.

Borchert said the process took several hours.

"Fifteen to 20 tons is a lot of whale to deal with," he said.

He said the smell from the decomposing animal was strong, and there was evidence of sharks in the water, presumably drawn to the beach by the dead whale.

"People saw some fins offshore," Borchert said, noting that the whale had been drifting in the water for at least several days.

The beach reopened Monday. Borchert said that although the smell of the dead whale may linger until a strong rainstorm washes it away, the beach was clear, the water safe and park officials had not seen sharks in the area Monday.

[SeaCliff]

Here's some info on fin whales:



Fin whale

The fin whale is the second-largest whale species after the blue, to which it is genetically close. Fin-blue whale hybrids are known.

There are no agreed estimates of current population, although there are some signs of recovery in parts of the Southern Hemisphere where it has been protected since 1976. There are about 40-50,000 in the North Atlantic, where up to 19 per year can be taken by Greenlandic aboriginal hunters.

Japan has recently added the fin to its list of science targets and plans to take 50 per year. Iceland has also caught small numbers commercially in recent years.

Status: Endangered

[topshape]

thanks for the info!