Third Whale Death in Three Days as Minke Whale Found on Outer Banks
In another disheartening event near the Virginia Beach coast, a dead minke whale was discovered on the northern beaches of the Outer Banks on Tuesday evening. This occurrence marks the third time a lifeless whale has washed up on the regional shores in mere three days.
Details of the Unfortunate Occurrence
The whale was found on the four-wheel-drive beach located outside Corolla, about two miles north from the end of the paved road. According to Karen Clark, the local marine mammal stranding coordinator and representative with the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education, the mammal is a female minke whale and measured about 26 feet in length.
Upon initial inspection, the whale showed no external signs of trauma. Due to the late day discovery, the whale’s detailed examination, or necropsy, will be performed later, added Clark.
Precursor Incidents
Two humpback whales’ deaths preceded this event, whose bodies also washed ashore near Virginia Beach. The first of these was found on Sunday morning on the Oceanfront near 25th Street, while another was discovered on Monday morning at False Cape State Park, a region bordering Virginia Beach and North Carolina.
Is There a Connection? Is There a Cause?
Giving her input on these incidents, Kristina Scott, a spokesperson for the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, stated that there doesn’t seem to be any reason to believe a connection exists between the two humpback whales’ deaths near Virginia Beach. Nevertheless, an official determination has not been reached yet.
An Unusual Mortality Event
Since January 2017, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has been closely monitoring a spike in minke whale deaths along the Atlantic coast upwards from Maine to South Carolina. NOAA has declared this a “unique mortality event,” a term denoting an unexpected or noteworthy drop in population of a species over a brief period.
Biologists are yet to establish whether the minke deaths are connected to the increased number of similar fatalities involving humpback whales and North Atlantic right whales along the Atlantic coast during the same period, as stated on NOAA’s website.
