One of two dead whales in New York was found in the Hamptons within three days

According to the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, a 26-foot minke whale washed up dead on Mecox Beach in Southampton on May 1, three days before another dead whale was found off Brooklyn.

The Hampton Bays-based nonprofit that responded to both scenes reported that the autopsy of the adult female whale showed it was in an advanced stage of decomposition and a cause of death could not be determined.

“Initial results showed that there was no evidence of blunt force trauma (indicative of a ship impact) and that no lesions were found in the whale’s cardiovascular tissue consistent with infectious disease documented in other minke whales.” The scientist said the agency said in a statement.

Tissue samples will be sent to a pathologist for further analysis, but results could take months, the group added.

The two cases follow a spate of whale deaths in the New York metropolitan area and along the East Coast that sparked a debate among environmentalists about whether the construction of offshore wind farms could be a factor, which developers and federal regulators have disputed. Federal authorities have been investigating a spike in minke whale deaths along the Atlantic coast since 2017. Minke whales are protected but not endangered.

The whale found near Brooklyn Harbor was identified as a fin or sei whale, approximately 30 to 50 feet long. It was caught on the bow of a cruise ship.

Officials from the city of Southampton, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s New England/Mid-Atlantic Fisheries helped rescue the minke whale, which was buried on the beach after the examination.

AMCS urges the public to report all stranded marine mammals and sea turtles to the New York State Stranding Hotline at 631-369-9829. The public can also report sightings of healthy marine mammals and sea turtles in and around New York (email protected).