Gloucester City, New Jersey — After being killed whale The animal was found on the bow of a container ship docked in New Jersey, and authorities were working Tuesday to remove the carcass and determine the cause of death for the endangered animal.
The U.S. Coast Guard reported the whale on Sunday at Marine Station Gloucester, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, a New Jersey-based animal rescue service, said in a social media post. The port is located at the base of the Walt Whitman Bridge, which connects New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
The center said in a follow-up post on Tuesday that it was working to tow the carcass away in order to perform an autopsy and determine how the whale died.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed on Tuesday that its Office of Enforcement had opened an investigation into the death, but declined to comment further. She said anyone with information about the dead whale should call the agency’s hotline.
The center said it believed the deceased animal was a fin whale between 25 to 30 feet (7.6 to 9.1 meters) long. The endangered species is known to swim in waters from southern New Jersey to the New York City area.
Its population of huge mammals He gradually recovered In the Atlantic Ocean thanks to conservation efforts after it became on the verge of extinction due to commercial fishing. All dolphins, porpoises and whales are protected under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act, which makes it illegal to touch, feed or harm them in any way.
Fin whales are the second largest animals after the blue whale. They can be up to 85 feet (25.9 m) long and weigh between 40 and 80 tons (36.3 and 72.6 metric tons).
The giant mammals are found all over the world and are threatened by ship strikes, fishing gear entanglement, and the effects of climate change, among other challenges.