The carcass of a North Atlantic right whale was found Monday afternoon floating about four miles off Fire Island inlet on Long Island, New York, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported.
“The carcass is extremely decomposed, and we are not able to provide any details on the whale’s cause of death, age or sex at this time,” NOAA said in a news release issued late Monday evening.
It is the first observed right whale death in U.S. waters this year. Nearly 30 whales – NOAA considers that figure to be unusual – have been found dead in U.S. and Canadian waters since 2017.
North Atlantic right whales are endangered, with only about 400 remaining. About 95 surviving whales are breeding females. The leading causes of whale deaths appear to be entanglement in fishing gear and vessel strikes.
Officials from NOAA, the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, and other agencies hope to examine the whale’s remains on Tuesday.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
-
Sports
Greatness defined, as Brady makes 10th Super Bowl
-
Business
Pandemic problems overwhelm global supply lines
-
Business
Average U.S. price of gas up 10 cents a gallon to $2.45
-
Politics
Democratic, GOP lawmakers lobby White House for a more targeted relief bill
-
News
Former Westbrook legislator elected to lead Maine Democratic Party
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi {SUB NAME}, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have one? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login to participate in the conversation. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.