The Marine Mammal Stranding Center said the agency will work to recover and remove the corpse of a dead whale that washed up in the hometown of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy later today.
The MMSC cited conditions to remove the whale since its discovery on Wednesday have not been ideal at the Leonardo Marine where it was found.
According to the center, on Wednesday at 2:45 pm the Marine Mammal Stranding Center received a call reporting a whale carcass floating in Leonardo State Marina.
“A local MMSC Stranding volunteer was dispatched and on scene within 20 minutes. The approximately 20-foot long Minke whale was confirmed to be deceased, and wedged upside down between a breakwater and the bulkhead,” MMSC said. “The tide was dropping, making the whale inaccessible to equipment to recover it. This morning MMSC staff with the assistance of the Middletown Township Public Works Department will be on scene to begin recovery efforts with the next high tide, which is occurring at approximately 11:00am.”
At that time, the whale will be moved to a nearby location for a necropsy. Updates will be provided on social media and MMSC’s website as they are available.