A whale has died after police said it charged at a boat Saturday afternoon along the Barnegat Bay in Ocean County, New Jersey.
Officials with the Marine Mammal Stranding Center said they received a call from the New Jersey State Police Marine Unit after they spotted a whale in the Barnegat Bay, near the inlet, around 2:45 p.m. Saturday.
MMSC staffers connected with the U.S Coast Guard, NJSP Marine Unit and Sea Tow, while a stranding coordinator responded to the area where the whale was spotted.
Less than an hour later, a report came in from a boater stating that a vessel struck the whale, causing the boat to nearly capsize and a passenger to go overboard.
In an update on Monday, New Jersey State Police said it actually appears the whale charged at the 21-foot boat, which led a passenger onboard the vessel to fall into the Double Creek Channel of Barnegat Bay
No injuries were reported among the boat’s passengers.
Sea Tow, who had remained on the scene to observe the whale, confirmed it had died.
After arriving, the MMSC stranding coordinator boarded a vessel with New Jersey Fish and Wildlife Conservation officers and made their way out to the whale, which was resting on a “very shallow” sandbar outside of the channel. The whale was identified as a Minke whale, approximately 20 feet in length, according to the MMSC.
Crews were able to get within 30 yards of the whale, but due to the tidal conditions, they were not able to access the sandbar for further examination. Officials said the whale will be towed to a nearby New Jersey state park for a necropsy, which is expected to take several hours to complete.
You can report any sightings to the MMSC’s hotline at (609) 266-0538.
A whale has died after police said it charged at a boat Saturday afternoon along the Barnegat Bay in Ocean County, New Jersey.Officials with the Marine Mammal Stranding Center said they received a call from the New Jersey State Police Marine Unit after they spotted a whale in the Barnegat Bay, near the inlet, around 2:45 p.m. Saturday.MMSC staffers connected with the U.S Coast Guard, NJSP Marine Unit and Sea Tow, while a stranding coordinator responded to the area where the whale was spotted.Less than an hour later, a report came in from a boater stating that a vessel struck the whale, causing the boat to nearly capsize and a passenger to go overboard. In an update on Monday, New Jersey State Police said it actually appears the whale charged at the 21-foot boat, which led a passenger onboard the vessel to fall into the Double Creek Channel of Barnegat Bay
No injuries were reported among the boat’s passengers.Sea Tow, who had remained on the scene to observe the whale, confirmed it had died.After arriving, the MMSC stranding coordinator boarded a vessel with New Jersey Fish and Wildlife Conservation officers and made their way out to the whale, which was resting on a “very shallow” sandbar outside of the channel. The whale was identified as a Minke whale, approximately 20 feet in length, according to the MMSC.Crews were able to get within 30 yards of the whale, but due to the tidal conditions, they were not able to access the sandbar for further examination. Officials said the whale will be towed to a nearby New Jersey state park for a necropsy, which is expected to take several hours to complete.
You can report any sightings to the MMSC’s hotline at (609) 266-0538.
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