Minke Whale Found in Hamptons Believed to Have Died of Disease

A 23-foot-long male minke whale that was found dead in the Hamptons appears to have died of an infectious disease prior to reaching the shore, according to marine biologists.

The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, a Hampton Bays-based nonprofit organization that responds to marine wildlife strandings, performed a necropsy on the whale, which was found to be thin and have no food in its digestive system. That and other evidence led experts to believe the whale died of a disease that has claimed other minke whales.

The whale was first spotted floating off the coast of Montauk on September 17. Two days later, a fisherman reported that the whale was floating in the Shinnecock Inlet. Southampton Town Bay Constables towed the whale to the beach in Hampton Bays, where experts performed the necropsy.

Federal officials have been investigating an increase in minke whale deaths along the Atlantic coast since 2017. Minke whales are protected, but not endangered.

AMCS urges the public to report all stranded marine mammals and sea turtles to the New York State Stranding Hotline at 631-369-9829. The public can also report sightings of healthy marine mammals and sea turtles in and around New York via email to sightings@amseas.org.