A Minke whale has died and a man was thrown overboard into Barnegat Bay after the animal collided with a boat on Saturday afternoon, according to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC).
On Aug. 2 at about 2:45 p.m. the New Jersey State Police Marine Unit notified MMSC that a whale had been spotted in the bay near the inlet, prompting a coordinated effort between the U.S. Coast Guard, state marine police, and Sea Tow to remove the animal.
While the Stranding Coordinator was still making their way over, a nearby boater radioed in reporting a collision between his vessel and the whale. The boat nearly capsized and someone on board was thrown into the water.
Sea Tow stayed on scene and observed the whale’s distress, according to MMSC. At around 3:40 p.m., Sea Tow reported that the animal was dead. The Stranding Coordinator, receiving help from the New Jersey Fish and Wildlife Conservation Officers, eventually were able to approach the whale as tidal conditions allowed.
Described as a Minke approximately 20 feet in length, the whale was resting on a sandbar in very shallow water.
The team could not immediately access the carcass for a direct inspection due to the tide. After confirming with officials at a nearby state park, MMSC arranged to tow the whale to shore once heavy equipment became available.
On Monday, a necropsy—an animal autopsy—was performed on the whale, helping identify it as an adult female, measuring 26 feet 4 inches long. Preliminary necropsy findings showed that the whale was “in overall thin body condition,” with some external superficial cuts and bruising beneath the blubber and muscle along the dorsal side. There was blood found in the lungs, lesions present in the stomach, and notably, the gastrointestinal tract was empty with minimal digestive material or fecal matter.
Boaters in the area have been warned to exercise caution north of Double Creek Channel and keep a minimum distance of 150 feet from the whale carcass for safety reasons. The public is urged to report any further sightings to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center hotline at (609) 266-0538.