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Vessel strike blamed for humpback whale's death in New York

Associated Press

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People work around the carcass of a dead whale in Lido Beach, N.Y., Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. The 35-foot humpback whale, that washed ashore and subsequently died, is one of several cetaceans that have been found over the past two months along the shores of New York and New Jersey. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Heavy machinery is used to roll a dead whale in Lido Beach, N.Y., Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. The 35-foot humpback whale, that washed ashore and subsequently died, is one of several cetaceans that have been found over the past two months along the shores of New York and New Jersey. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Heavy machinery is used to roll a dead whale in Lido Beach, N.Y., Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. The 35-foot humpback whale, that washed ashore and subsequently died, is one of several cetaceans that have been found over the past two months along the shores of New York and New Jersey. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
A woman takes pictures or videos of a dead whale in Lido Beach, N.Y., Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. The 35-foot humpback whale, that washed ashore and subsequently died, is one of several cetaceans that have been found over the past two months along the shores of New York and New Jersey. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
People work around the carcass of a dead whale in Lido Beach, N.Y., Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. The 35-foot humpback whale, that washed ashore and subsequently died, is one of several cetaceans that have been found over the past two months along the shores of New York and New Jersey. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
People walk down the beach to take a look at a dead whale in Lido Beach, N.Y., Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. The 35-foot humpback whale, that washed ashore and subsequently died, is one of several cetaceans that have been found over the past two months along the shores of New York and New Jersey. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
A man takes a sample from a dead whale's fin in Lido Beach, N.Y., Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. The 35-foot humpback whale, that washed ashore and subsequently died, is one of several cetaceans that have been found over the past two months along the shores of New York and New Jersey. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
People walk down the beach to take a look at a dead whale in Lido Beach, N.Y., Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. The 35-foot humpback whale, that washed ashore and subsequently died, is one of several cetaceans that have been found over the past two months along the shores of New York and New Jersey. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
People walk down the beach to take a look at a dead whale in Lido Beach, N.Y., Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. The 35-foot humpback whale, that washed ashore and subsequently died, is one of several cetaceans that have been found over the past two months along the shores of New York and New Jersey. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
People work around the carcass of a dead whale in Lido Beach, N.Y., Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. The 35-foot humpback whale, that washed ashore and subsequently died, is one of several cetaceans that have been found over the past two months along the shores of New York and New Jersey. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

People work around the carcass of a dead whale in Lido Beach, N.Y., Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. The 35-foot humpback whale, that washed ashore and subsequently died, is one of several cetaceans that have been found over the past two months along the shores of New York and New Jersey. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

LIDO BEACH, N.Y. – A humpback whale that washed ashore on a New York beach this week was likely killed by a vessel, federal authorities said Wednesday.

A necropsy will determine the exact cause of death for the whale, a male named Luna that was more than 40 years old and had been tracked by marine biologists for decades, said officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

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The whale was discovered Monday morning at Lido Beach West Town Park on Long Island and was hauled up to the beach with a crane.

A necropsy team including representatives from the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, NOAA Fisheries, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Mystic Aquarium Animal Response Program and the Marine Mammal Stranding Center assembled Tuesday and cut through the blubber to collect samples of the whale's internal organs, NOAA officials said in a statement.

The whale was likely killed by a vessel strike, the officials said, but more will be known once the results of the samples become available.

Officials said the whale's level of decomposition indicated that it had died several days before washing ashore, contradicting early reports that the animal had beached itself while it was alive.

The whale was about 41 feet (12 meters) long and weighed 29,000 pounds (13,154 kilos), the officials said.

NOAA, which is responsible for the nation’s oceans and fisheries, says 19 humpback whales were stranded last year along the U.S. Atlantic coast. During the first month of this year, there have already been seven of the whales beached from Maine to Florida.

Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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