The carcass of an endangered whale, tentatively identified as a fin whale, was found on the bow of a container ship at Gloucester City Marine Terminal in South Jersey. The Marine Mammal Stranding Center and NOAA moved the animal for necropsy while NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement investigates whether a vessel strike or towing of a carcass is to blame. The discovery adds to a string of unusual mortality events and highlights growing threats to whale populations from ship strikes, fishing gear entanglement and warming oceans.
Endangered Fin Whale Found Dead on Container Ship Bow in South Jersey; Federal Probe Underway
Photo Credit: iStock
Federal and regional marine investigators are probing the death of an endangered whale after its carcass was discovered on the bow of a container ship at Gloucester City Marine Terminal on the Delaware River, opposite Philadelphia.
The Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) responded to the scene and arranged transport of the animal for a necropsy to confirm its species and determine cause of death. The whale has been tentatively identified as a fin whale, a species protected under the Endangered Species Act and listed as "depleted" under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
The U.S. Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay first reported the discovery Sunday. NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement has opened an investigation to determine whether the incident was the result of a vessel strike on a living whale or a collision with an already deceased animal that was subsequently towed into port.
Context: Rising Risks to Whale Populations
NOAA Fisheries is monitoring a prolonged series of unusual mortality events (UMEs) affecting several whale species, including humpback, minke and North Atlantic right whales. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, a UME is an unexpected stranding that involves a significant die-off and requires an immediate response.
Scientists warn that multiple stressors are increasing risks to whales: vessel strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, and broad environmental changes driven by rising ocean temperatures. NOAA has said warming seas appear to be disrupting foraging behavior and reducing reproduction in fin whales, which may push them closer to shore and into greater contact with ships.
Previous recent strandings in the region include two whale deaths in New Jersey during August and October that were ultimately attributed to vessel strikes, and a fin whale that washed ashore in Delaware in March — a rare shallow-water sighting that experts said could indicate distress or food scarcity.
Public Tips Requested: NOAA has asked anyone with information about the incident to contact NOAA Fisheries' Enforcement Hotline at 800-853-1964. Members of the public who spot marine mammals in distress can call the MMSC hotline at 609-266-0538 or use the NOAA Fisheries reporting app.
The necropsy results and the outcome of the enforcement investigation will be critical to determining cause and guiding measures to reduce future incidents.
Help us improve.
