Federal investigators have been called in to probe the mysterious death of a massive fin whale that was found beached on a ship at a major port in South Jersey. The whale, estimated to be around 25-30 feet long, was discovered on Sunday night at the Gloucester Marine Terminal, part of the Port of Philadelphia complex on the Delaware River.
According to experts from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC), which is based in nearby Brigantine, the whale appears to have died after being caught on the bow of an unidentified vessel. MMSC officials say that fin whales are endangered species known to inhabit waters between New York and Cape May, making their discovery particularly concerning.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Law Enforcement will lead the investigation into the whale's death, with the aim of determining its cause using a necropsy examination. This follows an increasing trend of unusual stranding events involving whales in recent years, many of which have been linked to ship strikes or entanglement in fishing nets.
While some local groups and lawmakers have suggested that offshore wind development may be contributing to marine species deaths in the region, there is currently no conclusive evidence to support these claims. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has found that most stranded whales had injuries consistent with human activity, rather than environmental factors like wind turbines.
However, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy did recently announce funding for research into offshore wind energy and whale behavior in the state's lease areas. Despite this, the industry remains under pressure from opposition groups and economic challenges, including a canceled wind energy project off the coast of Atlantic City last year.
The Marine Mammal Stranding Center will provide updates on its findings regarding the Gloucester whale as more information becomes available.
According to experts from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC), which is based in nearby Brigantine, the whale appears to have died after being caught on the bow of an unidentified vessel. MMSC officials say that fin whales are endangered species known to inhabit waters between New York and Cape May, making their discovery particularly concerning.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Law Enforcement will lead the investigation into the whale's death, with the aim of determining its cause using a necropsy examination. This follows an increasing trend of unusual stranding events involving whales in recent years, many of which have been linked to ship strikes or entanglement in fishing nets.
While some local groups and lawmakers have suggested that offshore wind development may be contributing to marine species deaths in the region, there is currently no conclusive evidence to support these claims. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has found that most stranded whales had injuries consistent with human activity, rather than environmental factors like wind turbines.
However, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy did recently announce funding for research into offshore wind energy and whale behavior in the state's lease areas. Despite this, the industry remains under pressure from opposition groups and economic challenges, including a canceled wind energy project off the coast of Atlantic City last year.
The Marine Mammal Stranding Center will provide updates on its findings regarding the Gloucester whale as more information becomes available.
like, what were they even doing out there? And now people are trying to figure out if offshore wind development is the problem... I mean, I get where everyone's coming from, but we need more info before we start pointing fingers 
. I do think it's cool that NJ Governor Phil Murphy is looking into whale behavior research tho 
maybe we can learn something new about our oceans and how to protect these amazing creatures 
This fin whale thingy is super sad! Like in that movie "Free Willy" 
. The fact that it's an endangered species just makes me wanna cry 
. Can't we just coexist peacefully with these amazing creatures? 
And now there's this investigation going on... fingers crossed they get to the bottom of it 
. Maybe we can learn something from this and make some changes to prevent more fin whales from, you know, fin-ing their way to an early grave 
.
. I'm sure it's just a coincidence that it died from getting caught in a ship's bow, right? Like, who needs that kind of stress in their life? 
And great job to whoever was driving that boat, thanks for adding another species to the endangered list 
. The gov is always quick to jump on new "research" just to shut down industries that might be unpopular with local people... offshore wind energy, yadda yadda. We'll see how long it takes before they realize the real culprit is just ship strikes and fishing nets 
! The thought of that massive fin whale getting caught and killed by a ship just breaks my heart 
. I'm all for offshore wind development, but let's make sure we're not harming our marine friends in the process 
. The more we know, the better equipped we'll be to protect these incredible creatures and their habitats 
#WhaleConservation #SaveTheFinWhales #OceanProtection
It's just devastating to think it died from getting caught in a ship, or worse, being hit on purpose... 
It's not just offshore wind development; it could be anything from pollution to overfishing... we gotta do better! 
Oh no, a fin whale beached on a ship in South Jersey? 
I've seen some diagrams of whales and ships, like this:
Fin whales are endangered, and now we have to figure out how this whale died. 
offshore wind development is still a super sensitive topic, and I just can't even... 