Visitors to Assateague Island National Seashore got a surprise Monday morning when a dead 20-foot humpback whale washed ashore.
According to a social media post by park officials, “it is currently located in the Maryland Oversand Vehicle Area. The OSV is currently closed at the 21.8 KM mark to allow the whale to be safely dealt with. At this time there are no obvious signs to the cause of death.”
According to officials, park service staff at Assateague Island National Seashore immediately contacted the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ Stranding Response Program. The department is the lead agency for stranding response in the state of Maryland. It also consults with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association and partners with other agencies such as the National Aquarium and Smithsonian Institution.
“As a land manger, Assateague Island National Seashore is responsible for carcass retrieval and ultimately, disposal. A necropsy is planned for Tuesday, 1/17 by staff from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Stranding Response Program and the National Aquarium.”
Staff at Assateague Island National Seashore will use heavy equipment to move the whale to the upper part of the beach. After the necropsy is completed, it will be moved into the dunes and allowed to dry out prior to its eventual burial. All parts of the animal are protected under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act.
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“Visitors who come across the whale should keep a distance and keep any dogs leashed. The carcass will smell for a while, but previous experience shows that the smell will not be a problem more than 50 yards or so from the actual location. All marine mammals, alive or dead, are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act and collection of any parts is prohibited,” said the social media post in a warning to the public.
What might be killing whales along the East Coast?
This is far from the only recent instance of dead whales washing ashore as cases like an orca being found in Florida have caused many to speculate on the causes of death.
Cases from as close as North Carolina and as far north as New Jersey have also added to the debate the culprit might be offshore wind development and sonar use.
Studies conducted by naval and other vessels in 2022 have found that while sonar is barely audible to humans, whales perceive it as a loud noise from which they escape — often to their peril. Among the most susceptible to fleeing noise are orcas, right, humpback, sperm, long-finned pilot and northern bottle-nosed whales.
Last Friday, New Jersey and New York lawmakers at local, state and federal levels called for a temporary pause in ocean floor preparation work for offshore wind farms in New Jersey and New York after another dead whale washed ashore in the region.
Environmental groups on those states decried the move as “premature and unfounded” despite the decision to pause development gaining traction among lawmakers. One of the seven whales found off the coast of New York and New Jersey in a little more than a month had apparently been struck by a vessel, according to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center.
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On the Eastern Shore, the National Marine Fisheries Service, a branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, proposed a federal rule in October 2022 that would expand the current 10 knot speed restrictions along the East Coast on boats 65 feet and longer to include all boats 35 feet and longer to ensure safe passage for endangered right whales.
State officials still warn that public notify the proper authorities in cases of a sea life washing ashore.
Depending on whether you are in Maryland or Virginia, reports can be made with the Maryland Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding Response Program at 1-800-628-9944 or the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center Stranding Response Program at 757-385-7575.
