Dead Whale Washes Up on Beach 97th

By Katie McFadden

It was a good run without a dead whale washing up on our shores, but that came to an end when a decomposing humpback whale washed up on Beach 97th Street on Saturday afternoon, May 3.

While some other creatures have washed up dead, including a common dolphin on April 16, Rockaway hadn’t seen a dead whale since spring 2023. Crowds gathered to get a look at the latest dead mammal over the weekend. The whale showed signs of heavy decomposition and what appeared to be bite marks on its body, presumably from predators that found an easy meal floating in the ocean. Fishermen had reported seeing the dead whale off the coast of New Jersey earlier in the week. By Sunday, biologists from the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society (AMSEAS) were on site to handle the tough job of performing a necropsy on the strong-smelling body of the whale.

Due to the rate of decomposition, AMSEAS was unable to determine a cause of death right away, but they did provide some updates on their social media pages on Monday. “The examination revealed that the animal was a 42-foot male humpback whale marked by advanced decomposition. Findings indicated that the animal was in good body condition and had been eating prior to its death.

“Samples were collected from many parts of the whale, including blubber, tissues, bones, and organs that will be sent to a pathologist for further analysis. The advanced state of decomposition that was noted during the examination highlights why histopathological analyses are required to confirm preliminary necropsy findings. Pathology reports may take several months or longer to come back. Biological samples have various destination points to laboratories across the country. Labs have various response times, sometimes up to a year. Following the examination, the animal was buried on site in accordance with NOAA Fisheries’ best practices.”

AMSEAS reminds the public to report sightings of sick, injured, entangled, or deceased whales, dolphins, seals and sea turtles to the NYS Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding Hotline at (631)-369-9829.

Photos by Katie McFadden and Anna Tarbell.