Endangered North Atlantic right whale washes ashore in Virginia Beach
The Virginian-Pilot|Everett Eaton |February 13, 2023
A North Atlantic right whale washed ashore Sunday near Aeires on the Bay Park. A necropsy is slated for Tuesday by the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center Stranding Response Program and NOAA.
A North Atlantic right whale washed ashore Sunday near Aeires on the Bay Park. A necropsy is slated for Tuesday by the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center Stranding Response Program and NOAA.
VIRGINIA BEACH — A North Atlantic right whale washed ashore Sunday near Aeires on the Bay Park.
A necropsy is slated for Tuesday by the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center Stranding Response Program and NOAA.
Last week, the Virginia Beach Marine Patrol pulled a dead humpback whale ashore near First Landing State Park. In the humpback’s necropsy, the stranding team used a technique they call “peeling the banana,” in which they split the whale from mouth to tail catalog and take samples. The samples help researchers determine the mammal’s diet, the health of its organs and potential cause of death.
“It is helpful to know that even though it has passed away, we can still learn something from it,” said Caryl Thompson, chief operating …
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]VIRGINIA BEACH — A North Atlantic right whale washed ashore Sunday near Aeires on the Bay Park.
A necropsy is slated for Tuesday by the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center Stranding Response Program and NOAA.
Last week, the Virginia Beach Marine Patrol pulled a dead humpback whale ashore near First Landing State Park. In the humpback’s necropsy, the stranding team used a technique they call “peeling the banana,” in which they split the whale from mouth to tail catalog and take samples. The samples help researchers determine the mammal’s diet, the health of its organs and potential cause of death.
“It is helpful to know that even though it has passed away, we can still learn something from it,” said Caryl Thompson, chief operating officer at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center.
The whale was then buried on the beach.
The right whale is an endangered species and scientists at the New England Aquarium in Boston determined that there are only about 340 left and only 70 of those are breeding females.
Right whale populations have been declining over the years because of ship strikes and when the whales get tangled in fishing nets. The breeding whales only give birth every three to 10 years. The National Marine Fisheries Service showed that about 50 calves would need to be born every year for several years to put the species on the road to recovery.