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A dead North Atlantic right whale washed ashore in Virginia Beach this week. A necropsy conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration determined the whale died of injuries suffered in a vessel strike. Photo courtesy of Tim Solanic
A necropsy conducted on a North Atlantic right whale found dead in Virginia Beach this week determined the animal died of blunt force trauma consistent with a vessel strike.
The whale, a 20-year-old male almost 43 feet in length and weighing an estimated 70 tons, washed ashore Monday, Feb. 13. Officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration conducted a necropsy in the following days.
According to the report, the whale suffered multiple vertebral fractures, which would have resulted in death soon after impact. The whale showed no evidence of entanglement and no obvious external signs of the vessel strike. Officials said the whale was otherwise in normal condition.
Virginia and the surrounding Mid-Atlantic region are currently enforcing Seasonal Management Areas. The Management Areas are in effect until April 30 and require all vessels 65 feet or longer to reduce their speeds to 10 knots or less in order to protect right whales and other marine life.
NOAA has not announced if the vessel has been identified nor if it intends to press charges against the operators of the vessel.
With no dorsal fin and coloring similar to the water around them, it can be difficult for boaters to spot right whales as they speed past. NOAA’s South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has proposed an amendment to its Seasonal Management Areas that would require all vessels 35 feet and longer to reduce their speeds to 10 knots or less. The council has seen significant pushback from recreational fishermen and charter captains claiming the reduced speeds would negatively affect their livelihoods. The majority of public comments from Fernandina Beach, however, have been largely in favor of the amendment.
Scientists estimate there are fewer than 340 North Atlantic right whales left, and NOAA declared an Unusual Mortality Event for the species in 2017. The UME is still ongoing.
The Biden administration recently declined to act on an emergency petition filed by ocean activist group Oceana requesting all Seasonal Management Areas reduce speed limits to 10 knots or less for all vessels 35 feet or longer.
