Whale Strands Itself Twice In The Barnegat Bay

BARNEGAT, NJ — A minke whale was rescued after stranding itself only for it to strand itself again the very next day.

The 22-foot long whale was first spotted in shallow water on the northwest side of Conklin Island just off Barnegat on Oct. 1, according to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, which responded.

The stranding team, along with assistance from New Jersey State Police and Sea Tow, was able to free the whale from the sandbar it was stranded on, the stranding center said.

The whale was seen swimming towards the open water of the channel at sunset.

However, the next morning of Oct. 2, the stranding team and state police were back after the whale was found stranded again, this time by the Ocean County Mosquito Commission.

This time, it was in two feet of water on the southwest side of Clam Island, which is just off Barnegat Light.

The center's stranding coordinator was able to walk the whale three-quarters of a mile into deeper water.

Once in deeper water, the whale was seen resting at the surface, lower its tail to anchor itself in position, the stranding center said. They watched the whale until dusk.

Again, on the next day after that the team came back out to see the whale, this time with New Jersey Fish and Wildlife conservation officers.

The whale was resting in shallow water in the same area, the standing center said.

But as the tide came in, the whale started to move out of the shallows and swam northwest towards the middle of the bay, the stranding center said. The U.S. Coast Guard also helped in monitoring the whale this time.

The stranding center said they will continue to monitor the minke whale and ask that any sightings of the whale be reported to their 24-hour hotline (609) 266-0538.

Minke whales are a federally-protected species and, as such, the public must remain at least 300 feet away from the whale and not to attempt to intervene in any way, as it can cause harm to both the whale and the public.