According to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, a dead 20-30-foot-long humpback whale washed up on the Jersey Shore early Thursday morning.
The center said they had received a call at 6:45 a.m. about a deceased whale in the surf near 51st Street in Long Beach Township.
At 6:45am this morning (April 11) the Marine Mammal Stranding Center received a call reporting a deceased 20-30 foot long Humpback whale in the surf at 51st street in Long Beach Township, NJ. MMSC Stranding Staff is currently en route.
Long Beach Township Police were on scene but the non-profit animal welfare organization said it is an active situation and promised to provide updates via its website and social media channels.
The center said the whale was estimated to be about 20 to 30 feet long.
Stranding center staff has responded to over 6,000 animals since opening in 1978. In the early years, the Center worked with approximately 20 animals in a year.
In the last five years, MMSC has averaged 180 animals annually. In 2013, the center saw it busiest year with 292 animals, most of them bottlenose dolphins from a mass die-off.
In 2020, the center had responded to 14 large whales, which was the most ever recorded in one year.