Latest news with #MMSC
CBS News
7 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Necropsy results released after whale struck boat in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey
The Marine Mammal Stranding Center on Monday released the preliminary necropsy of the whale that died in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, after striking a boat over the weekend. The MMSC, Atlantic Marine Conservation Society and Cornell University conducted a necropsy, an animal autopsy, on the minke whale that was stranded in Barnegat Bay on Saturday. The whale was 26 feet, 4 inches long and confirmed to be an adult female. The MMSC said the whale's body condition was thin. It also had "superficial cuts" externally and "bruising present in the blubber and muscle in the areas of trauma on the dorsal side." "GI tract was empty with very little digestive material present, and a scant amount of fecal matter," the MMSC wrote. "Lesions were present in the stomach." At the end of the necropsy, the whale was buried on the beach. The MMSC said the other biological samples collected were sent to a pathologist for further analysis. After the whale struck the boat on Saturday afternoon, a passenger went overboard and fell into the Double Creek Channel of Barnegat Bay. No injuries were reported among the boat's passengers.
Yahoo
04-08-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Whale dies after hitting boat at Jersey Shore, knocking woman overboard
A whale that collided with a small boat and knocked a woman overboard at the Jersey Shore has died, officials said. The incident occurred around 3:40 p.m. Saturday in Barnegat Bay near Long Beach Island in Ocean County when the 20-foot minke whale hit the boat, knocking a woman into the water and nearly capsizing the vessel. Boat Captain Charlie Nunn told NBC 10 Philadelphia the whale likely got anxious and went into fight-or-flight mode, leading to 'a close call, a freak accident' in shallow water. 'They're not supposed to be in three feet of water,' Nunn said. 'They keep bumping into something, it's probably fight-or-flight for the poor thing.' He added that the woman who fell into the water was uninjured. Kim Mancini, who took videos of the incident, said the whale was trying to get to deeper water. 'It was really in distress,' she told 6ABC. 'That's when it would go under boats; it was a crazy experience.' Nearly an hour before the crash, the whale was reported to the New Jersey Marine Mammal Standing Center, Coast Guard and state agencies. It may have hit a pontoon boat after the initial crash. It was also spotted resting in a sandbar after swimming into the boat. The MMSC said the whale was dead when they arrived at the sandbar. The organization said it hoped to tow the whale away on Monday and perform a necropsy to determine the animal's cause of death. The MMSC advised boaters to stay at least 150 feet from the whale carcass. _____
CBS News
04-08-2025
- General
- CBS News
Whale dead, passenger thrown overboard after boat collision in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey
A whale has died after being struck by 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. The person who went overboard is believed to be OK, officials say. 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 can be towed to a nearby New Jersey state park for a necropsy. However, due to the availability of heavy equipment and the upcoming tidal cycle, the whale will remain in the area until Monday morning, when conditions allow for crews to move the whale with help from Sea Tow. The necropsy is expected to take several hours to complete. The MMSC says boaters should be advised to use caution in the area north of Double Creek Channel in Barnegat Bay and to keep a minimum of 150 feet away from the whale carcass for their safety. You can report any sightings to the center's hotline at (609) 266-0538.
03-08-2025
- General
Whale dies after nearly capsizing boat off New Jersey's Barnegat Bay
A 20-foot-long Minke whale has died after it collided and nearly capsized a pleasure boat in New Jersey's Barnegat Bay on Saturday, an incident that knocked one boater overboard, officials said. The scary wildlife encounter unfolded in an area north of the Double Creek Channel in Barnegat Bay in Ocean County, officials said. "At approximately 3:40 p.m., a boater in the area reported that a vessel had struck the whale, causing the vessel to nearly capsize and a passenger to go overboard," according to a statement from the New jersey Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC). The person who was knocked into the water was not injured, officials said. Kim Mancini of Lacey Township told ABC Philadelphia station WPVI that she witnessed the incident and recorded video of the distressed Minke whale coming up under the boat and nearly tipping it over. Mancini told WPVI that there appeared to be something visibly wrong with the mammal. "It was really in distress. That's when it would go under boats, it was a crazy experience," Mancini said. Mancini said it appeared the whale was trying desperately to get to deeper water. The Marine Mammal Stranding Center said that about 50 minutes before the accident, it received a call that a whale had been spotted in Barnegat Bay near the inlet. Staff from the center, the Coast Guard, New Jersey Marine Police and the New Jersey Fish and Wildlife Conservation officers responded to the area. Officials said that after the collision, the whale was spotted resting on a sandbar in shallow water. An MMSC employee and Fish and Wildlife officers approached the whale by boat but could only get within 30 yards of the mammal. Tidal conditions at the time prevented them from reaching the sandbar to examine the whale, officials said. The whale was later pronounced dead on the sandbar, according to MMSC. Officials said they will try again on Monday to move the whale with the help of Sea Tow, a boat towing company. MMSC said a necropsy will be preformed to determine an exact cause of death. Meanwhile, MMSC is advising boaters to keep minimum of 150 feet away from the whale carcass.
NBC News
03-08-2025
- General
- NBC News
Whale dies at Jersey Shore after colliding with boat, officials say
A 20-foot Minke whale died after colliding with a motor boat at the Jersey Shore, officials said. The force of the collision sent a boat passenger into the water. A boater in Barnegat Bay in Long Beach Island, New Jersey, reported Saturday afternoon that a boat had struck a whale in the bay, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, or MMSC, said on Facebook. Sea Tow, which was called in when the whale was spotted in the bay, reported to MMSC that the whale was dead. The collision caused the boat to almost capsize and a passenger to fall overboard, MMSC said. There was no information on the person's condition but they did not appear to be injured. About an hour before the crash, the NJ State Police Marine Unit notified MMSC that there was a whale in the bay. Officials attempted to observe the whale, which, after the hit, was resting in shallow water on a sandbar, but could not get closer than 30 yards due to the tides, MMSC said. Witness video from the scene that was verified by NBC News shows a whale swimming under a motor boat before it tips the vessel onto its side. A person can be seen falling out of the boat. Other videos posted by the witness show a whale swimming around the shallow waters and violently thrashing its tail. Charlie Nunn, the boat's captain, told NBC Philadelphia that this was a freak accident and was not caused by the boaters antagonizing the whale. He said he believes they were in the area before the whale swam through. He said the whale was likely anxious and in fight-or-flight mode, causing the forceful crash. "They're not supposed to be in three feet of water," Nunn told NBC Philadelphia. "They keep bumping into something, it's probably fight-or-flight for the poor thing." The whale will be towed to a nearby state park on Monday and will undergo a necropsy, which could take several hours to complete, MMSC said. The nonprofit warned boaters to take caution in the area north of Double Creek Channel in Barnegat Bay and to stay at least 150 feet away from the whale carcass.
