Dead Whale Washes Up In East Quogue (New York, USA)

A whale washed up off Dune Road near Triton Lane in East Quogue on Wednesday, April 17. DANA SHAW

April 17th, 2013 (Carol Moran). A 35-foot humpback whale carcass was discovered in the surf off Dune Road near Triton Lane in East Quogue on Wednesday morning.

Rob DiGiovanni, executive director and senior biologist at the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation, said local residents reported the mammal just before 8 a.m. through the foundation’s rescue hotline.

He said biologists hope to perform a necropsy tomorrow to determine what might have killed the whale, and they are working with Southampton Town officials to coordinate the best way to dispose of it. Burying it and removing it from the beach are both options, he added.

Humpback whales are not uncommon in East End waters, though Mr. DiGiovanni said they are seen more frequently in the summer. He estimated that the whale weighs about 35 tons and is a young adult. Full-grown humpback whales typically grow to 50 feet.

The Southampton Town Bay Constables responded to the site Wednesday morning, along with Southampton Town Trustee Eric Shultz.

Mr. DiGiovanni thanked community members for reporting the mammal and helping the biologists collect information.

“We couldn’t do this without public support,” he said.

On Sunday, the foundation will release a harbor porpoise from Maine into the ocean about five miles south of the Shinnecock Inlet. The porpoise was taken in last fall, just before Hurricane Sandy hit the northeast.

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