Pygmy Sperm Whale Found Stranded On Long Beach Island

LOVELADIES, NJ — A live pygmy sperm whale was discovered stranded on the beach at Seaview Drive in Loveladies on Aug. 29, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC) said.

The whale, a 10-foot 9-inch long adult female weighing more than 800 pounds, was rescued by the MMSC with help from members of the Long Beach Township Beach Patrol.

The whale was rushed to the MMSC Center veterinarian.

"Upon examination, the whale was very lethargic and unresponsive, and had labored breathing," the MMSC said. "After the medical assessment it was determined that her prognosis was extremely poor, and she was unlikely to survive."

The impact of stranding is traumatic on whales and dolphins as their body weight and organs are normally supported by the water surrounding them, according to the MMSC, but when they are stranded their own body weight causes crushing damage to their internal organs.

"The decision was made to humanely euthanize the whale to prevent further suffering," the MMSC said.

The whale was immediately taken to Animal Health Diagnostic Lab for necropsy, the MMSC said.

"The laboratory will be following NOAA protocols for sampling freshly deceased cetaceans, and preserving samples for analysis of the ears and other organs," the MMSC said.

Updates on the necropsy will be shared here when available.

MMSC thanked all of the volunteers that helped with the whale.

"Seeing the Community of Loveladies come together on the beach to support our team and do whatever they could to help this beautiful whale in her final moments was inspiring," the MMSC said. "Although the outcome for this whale was not what we had all hoped for, in death she will contribute to the scientific knowledge of her species and hopefully help us understand the reason for her stranding and others."

The center has a long history with pygmy sperm whales, which rarely are spotted close to the shore. An Atlantic City stranding in 1976 is the event that brought MMSC into existence.

MMSC data shows that they have responded to 11 whale strandings in 2023 as of Aug. 28, making this number 12. The majority of those have been humpback whales, which have been the subject of an "unusual mortality event" (UME) by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) since 2016.

Many of the whales that have washed up showed signs of pre-mortem vessel strikes, according to NOAA.

Scientists and experts have denied the claims that the deaths are connected to offshore wind activities. To date, no evidence exists solidly linking the two. Read more: NJ Whale Deaths Explained By DEP

MMSC director Sheila Dean previously told Patch that she did not know why there had been an increase in marine mammal deaths.

"There are a lot of whales out there. A lot of food. A lot of boat traffic," she said. It has been documented that the whale population off New York City and New Jersey has significantly grown in recent years.

"And those are major shipping lanes. Those big boats don't even know when they hit a whale." Read more: Why We Ask You Avoid Beached Dolphins: Marine Mammal Stranding Center

Related

Dead Whale Washed Ashore In Long Branch Saturday

Whale Floating In Raritan Bay Showed Signs Of Boat Strike, Feds Say

This article contains additional reporting by Carly Baldwin.