Tests Performed on Dead Hamptons Whale

Marine biologists were finally able to perform a necropsy on a 31-foot-long humpback whale that washed up dead in Amagansett on December 9, experts with the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society said.

The whale initially washed up in Southampton, then washed back out to sea, came ashore in Napeague, and then finally came ashore in Amagansett, where the examination was conducted, officials said.

“Our biologists collected samples to be sent to a veterinary pathologist for further analysis to confirm necropsy findings,” the agency said. There were no signs of blunt force trauma typical of a ship strike that often proves fatal for whales.

New York State Parks Police, the state parks department, NOAA Fisheries New England/Mid-Atlantic and the state Department of Environmental Conservation assisted in the response and with handling logistics for disposal of the whale.

Members of the public are urged to report sightings of sick, injured, entangled, or deceased marine mammals and sea turtles to the NYS Stranding Hotline at 631-369-9829.