Minke Whale Stranded In North Fork Creek

SOUTHOLD, NY — A whale found itself trapped in a creek in Southold Thursday afternoon.

The minke whale was found in Goose Creek off Waterview Drive, according to residents in the area.

According to Rob DiGiovanni, Jr. chief scientist at the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, the whale is 18 feet long.

"It's odd and unusual for the animal to be in that area," DiGiovanni said, adding that he could only speculate as to how it ended up there. "There definitely seems like there was something wrong with the animal."

Minke whales, in recent years, have been in the middle of an unusual mortality event, he added. "We are finding neurological issues that we are still trying to understand," he said.

The whale was unresponsive but still alive, DiGiovanni said. With NOAA Fisheries and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation at the scene, the decision was made to sedate the whale "to alleviate as much of the stress as possible," he said.

NOAA Fisheries and AMCS planned to work together to look at other options Friday morning, he added. On Thursday night it was getting dark, and the whale was beached in mud, making it unsafe and hazardous to proceed, DiGiovanni said.

The whale does not appear as though it will be able to float out of the area and, DiGiovanni said, euthanization may be an option. Sedation, he said, "will make it more comfortable. We will reassess in the morning."

All present worked well together and aimed to alleviate the whale's stress, he said.

The New York Marine Rescue Center initially confirmed that the whale was stranded and, as of about 5 p.m., was still alive.