Overview

• A 20-foot minke whale struck a pleasure craft in Barnegat Bay on August 2 around 3:40 p.m., nearly capsizing the boat and ejecting a passenger who was later unharmed.
• Marine Mammal Stranding Center coordinators, the U.S. Coast Guard, New Jersey State Police Marine Unit and Sea Tow all responded after the whale was first spotted near Double Creek Channel.
• Tidal conditions left the whale resting on a shallow sandbar outside the channel, where Sea Tow confirmed the animal had died.
• Officials plan to tow the carcass on Monday morning to Island Beach State Park for a necropsy expected to take several hours to establish the cause of death.
• Boaters are being urged to use caution north of Double Creek Channel and maintain at least 150 feet of distance from the whale remains.