A 20- to 30-foot-long humpback whale washed ashore dead Thursday morning on Long Beach Island.

Although this is the first dead whale since October 2023 to wash up in New Jersey, NOAA Fisheries considers this part of an unusual mortality event. An increase in humpback deaths began in 2016.

Several groups on Long Beach Island and some state lawmakers continue to call for a pause of offshore wind activity to further study the deaths. The Department of Environmental Protection and the state have maintained there's no correlation between the marine mammal deaths and windmill mapping. However, NOAA does issue permits that allow companies to conduct their activities legally under the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act, which could disrupt an animal’s routine.

The dead whale was dragged north six blocks and placed into a dumpster. It was then hauled away to the Long Beach Township DPW yard, where the Marine Mammal Stranding Center will perform the necropsy.

“I’ve never seen so many dying, so what’s the cause? What is going on now? Why did this suddenly start happening,” asked Donna Bradley, of Ship Bottom.

“If it can be prevented, that would be great. I don’t know exactly what the cause of it is. There’s a lot of debate about that but you know I would think in order to figure it out, let’s stop, take a pause, and figure out why it’s happening,” added Moritz.

According to NOAA, 219 humpback whales have died along the East Coast since 2016. As of today, 30 of those deaths – were onshore or just off New Jersey waters. RELATED LINKS: