Photos, Video: Heartbreak, Outrage as Mourners Attend Farewell Vigil for Euthanized Humpback Whale

"We did everything we could." "We will not forget." "Whale lives matter."

The words were written on a handmade cross erected on the beach as hundreds of people gathered at Coast Guard Station Moriches Sunday for a vigil to pay last respects to a humpback whale euthanized Wednesday — a whale that brought a community together as scores rallied desperately to try and save its life.

The whale had been stranded on a sandbar since Sunday, and residents came together with equipment, manpower, funding and sheer force of will to try and help.

The one presence noticeably missing Sunday afternoon was the whale: The Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration moved the whale early Sunday to perform a planned necropsy.

According to an update from NOAA Fisheries, "On Sunday, November 27, the Moriches Bay humpback whale was moved to Cupsogue Beach County Park at approximately 9 a.m., where a team of marine scientists will conduct a necropsy, or animal autopsy, on Monday morning."

Members of the necropsy team were slated to take external measurements and other information about the whale Sunday afternoon. The whale has been identified as a female, 29.5 feet long, approximately 15 tons.

The necropsy will consist of a thorough external and internal examination of the whale, including skeletal components. The necropsy team will document the extent of injuries associated with the stranding, collect life history information, and obtain tissues samples for histopathology analysis. "We hope to learn more about what caused this whale to strand," NOAA said.

Despite an unprecedented public outpouring of pleas, begging officials to let volunteers help, humpback whales are an endangered species and no action was allowed to be taken until a NOAA came to assess the whale on Thursday.

Livid residents say it was too little, too late: NOAA, they say, took too long and are demanding new legislation to ensure a similar situation doesn't unfold in the future, especially as the humpback whale population begins to have a more visible presence on Long Island and are likely to feed on bunker.

Emotions were running high Sunday as heartbroken and disillusioned residents vented their sorrow and anger at how the whale's life ended.

The whale, officials have said, entered the bay during the time when a super moon caused extremely high tides; it was only feet from the channel that would have brought it to safety. And, others said Sunday, the whale was euthanized before the highest tide of the week.

Jim Dahlen Jr. described how he first spotted the whale while fishing off Remsenburg. and said he was disheartened with the fact that the whale was left for four days before the NOAA team arrived.

However, it's the amazing outpouring of the community, he said, that's an inspiration; he thanked all involved and told the crowd that together, Long Islanders can ensure it never happens again.

Mike Trovitch, who brought a barge to try and save the whale but wasn't allowed to proceed, said the outcome was "extremely disappointing. I had the right tools." Federal laws were originally put in place to help endangered species, he said, but in this case, "they hurt, too."

Others vented anger with the response they said they received from the Riverhead Foundation and NOAA. "I grew up on these waters," said Mike McClure. "Don't lie to me, please."

NOAA representatives met with residents from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the beach, and were onhand to answer questions before the vigil planned for the humpback whale that was euthanized Wednesday after a huge public outpouring of individuals trying to save its life.

"We appreciate that so many people came to talk to us this morning," said Kate Brogan of NOAA Fisheries public affairs.

On Monday, NOAA said there are plans to share any preliminary results of the necropsy, and final results from lab reports when they are available.

NOAA officials said that, from the "earliest hours of this stranding, experienced marine mammal responders were pursuing different options to to help free the whale, including an attempt with wave action from boats. Other methods were considered, but each presented the potential of causing significant damage to the animal, as we have seen in other strandings."

The statement continued, "We are committed to learning as much as we can from this stranding event."
A written statement about the stranding from NOAA can be found here.

Vow to rally for permanent memorial, solutions

Mourners erected a cross in memory of the "beautiful creature" who touched countless hearts.

And organizers of the Locals Only Facebook page, including Derek Wells, and others vowed to create permanent change.

A petition has been created to send to elected officials, demanding change and a "Local Marine Mammal Contingency Plan." To sign the petition, click here.

The petition said the plan would give "local authorities or properly trained citizens to the right supersede the federal government and gain the legal right to provide needed rescue efforts when these federally protected mammals become stranded or beached within locally regulated waters."

Rescuers said they were onhand with the equipment, funding, manpower, boats, a helicopter, divers, a barge, and commitment to help the whale, but have alleged they were blocked. "These dedicated citizens were in place to begin a rescue attempt when the federal government told them to stand down and threatened fines and arrests," the petition states.

In addition, another petition is circulating that would allow for the creation of a task force that will allow locals to immediately assess the situation and try to help in a similar situation.

In addition, at Sunday's vigil, plans were announced to use monies raised through a GoFundMe to create a permanent memorial for the whale on the beach, "so that what happened here will never be forgotten."

Vinny Conwell, who organized the vigil, said he was proud of the response from the community. "This is what Long Islanders do. This is what New Yorkers do," he sad.

Volunteers who tried valiantly to save the whale were devastated this week after the decision was made to euthanize the whale, who had been stranded since Sunday.

NOAA Fisheries representatives said the decision to euthanize was made in the whale's best interests, "to end its suffering."

But Adrienne Esposito, executive director of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment, is demanding a "full investigation into Whalegate. We need a plan to make sure this never happens again. We failed this whale, and need to make sure doesn't happen again. Not on our watch."

Alex Pokorny of Rocky Point said he was "extremely disappointed. This whole thing had the potential to be avoided," he said. "It's awful."

Those who were present at the euthanazation said the whale's artery was ultimately severed, allowing it to "bleed out." NOAA did not confirm that but described the procedure used to euthanize the whale.

Jill Abramson, who said she watched the tragic tale unfold from her condo, said despite the fact that experts said they had been assessing and monitoring the whale's situation the entire time, the attempts at wave action were "feeble."

Others were horrified that government officials, they said, left the whale on the sandbar until Wednesday, pecked at by gulls; some said they heard the cries of the whale at night from their homes.

"It's haunting," said Sandy Buscher.

Pokorny added that whales are sacred creatures in Polynesian culture; he said if a whale had been stranded on the West Coast, the story would have had a far different ending.

Others raised concerns about the chemicals used to euthanize the whale and potential health risks to leaving the whale in waters frequented by fishermen and played in by children; they also expressed fears about the possibility that the whale might be buried on Cupsogue near protected piping plover breeding areas.

But despite his tragic ending, the whale's story touched locals — and the world, said Conwell. "Long Island stood united."

Of the vigil, Wells said, "The ceremony went really well. It was really nice to finally put faces to the names of all the people that have helped as well as the community that had been so active on social media. A lot of the people who set out to help this whale were strangers before this and now I look forward to trying to create change with all of them."

On Sunday night, Wells said he was receiving "getting great feedback and ideas on how we should take steps legally to prevent this from happening again. The cross was a great sentiment for all of the communities efforts and Vinny did a great job putting this together. It was awesome to see everyone signing the cross and showing us how much it meant to them to them."

Wiping away tears, young and old tossed flowers into the bay.

One man noted sadly that wind and currents were sending the flowers directly to the spot where the whale had once been stranded, to a spot now empty.