Latest news with #MinkeWhale
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.
South Wales Argus
12-07-2025
- South Wales Argus
Voyages of Discovery guest captures amazing dolphin display
The guests on a Voyages of Discovery boat trip out of St Justinians were treated to a super pod of around 250 common dolphins and one of the customers onboard the boat captured these superb images. 'We are seeing them every day at the moment. It's absolutely nuts out there,' said Voyages of Discovery's Ifan Price. 'It's a combination of the weather and the fact that our skippers have been with us for 20 years. They know all the spots now. The skippers and the crew have got the hand of being around wildlife.' Ifan said that the spectacular leaps out of the water captured on camera were out of the ordinary. However, on the company's dolphin and wale watching trips, customers have a 93 percent chance of seeing cetaceans. 'We are seeing a lot of Minke whales out there as well at the moment,' said Ifan. 'The weather conditions are really helpful.' Ifan added that regulations preventing foreign trawlers in the Irish Sea had helped replenish fish and sand eel stocks and this accounted for the amount of cetaceans spotted in our waters, as well as the increase in the puffin population on Skomer. 'There is an increase in mackerel and sand eels for feeding off the back of the ban and the dolphins are thriving,' he said. Voyages of Discovery's offshore islands and dolphin voyage is a two-and-a-half-hour boat trip which takes in Grassholm Island and the Smalls. You can expect to see the third largest gannet colony in the UK, the Smalls Lighthouse, common dolphins, porpoises and Risso's dolphins as well as the occasional Minke Whale. Booking is online Local people ring the Voyages of Discovery office on 01437 721911 to take advantage of a 20 per cent discount.
