Minke Whale unusual mortality along Atlantic Coast

2017-2018 Minke Whale unusual mortality event along the Atlantic Coast

by NOAA Fisheries 5 Feb 10:10 UTC

Dead minke whale on the beach in New York © Atlantic Marine Conservation Society

Since January 2017, elevated minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) mortalities have occurred along the Atlantic coast from Maine through South Carolina.

A table of stranding numbers by state is below. While minke whales are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the species is not listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

This event has been declared an Unusual Mortality Event (UME).

Causes of the minke whale UME
Full or partial necropsy examinations were conducted on over 60% of the whales. Preliminary findings in several of the whales have shown evidence of human interactions or infectious disease. These findings are not consistent across all of the whales examined, so more research is needed.

As part of the UME investigation process, NOAA is assembling an independent team of scientist to coordinate with the Working Group on Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality Events to review the data collected, sample stranded whales, and determine the next steps for the investigation.