Overview
- The U.S. Coast Guard reported the carcass around 11:15 p.m. on Jan. 4 at the Gloucester Marine Terminal in Gloucester City on the Delaware River.
- The Marine Mammal Stranding Center removed the animal from the ship on Jan. 5 and towed it to a secure location, and teams are preparing for a full examination and disposal.
- Responders have tentatively identified the animal as a fin whale measuring about 25 to 30 feet, with final identification to follow the necropsy.
- NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement is investigating and asked anyone with information to call its hotline, and no cause of death has been confirmed.
- Fin whales are endangered and protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and authorities note vessel strikes and fishing-gear entanglement as established threats while federal agencies report no evidence linking recent whale deaths to offshore wind activity.