A dead humpback whale washed ashore on Long Beach Island early Friday morning.
The heavily decomposing, 29.5-foot female was found at 130th Street and Beach Haven Terrace in Long Beach Township around 7 a.m., although it had originally been seen 3.5 miles offshore of Harvey Cedars on Monday. The Marine Mammal Stranding Center responded and transported the whale to the Department of Public Works yard.
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The center typically collects samples from beached whales to determine a cause of injury or death. However, it said that this one was no longer viable for sampling because of how much its body had already deteriorated. Officials used photos to determine that it was the same one spotted earlier this week.
Long Beach Township will bury the remains at the public works yard.
Humpback whales are found in oceans all over the world, but they’re one of the more common species that wash ashore in the area. Center data shows that 14 whales were found beached across the state in 2023, nine of which were humpbacks. Another nine were found in 2024, four of which were humpbacks. Only one other whale, a long-finned pilot, was found stranded in New Jersey so far in 2025.