Another Whale Washes Up, This Time in East Hampton Village

Update, 10 p.m.: East Hampton Village officials removed a dead whale that had washed up on an ocean beach Wednesday morning.

Biologists examined the whale, which was found in the surf just east of Old Beach Lane. The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society responded to multiple calls received by the New York State stranding hotline.

"The 21-foot animal was severely decomposed and only the heart and lungs were available for the examination," the conservation society said in a statement Wednesday night. "The sex could not be determined, nor could the species at this time. Biologists believe it may be a fin or sei whale, and genetic samples were taken and sent to a pathologist for testing."

The organization said the village removed the remains from the beach for disposal.

The conservation society also responded to a report of a deceased dolphin in East Hampton near the Main Beach jetty. "The team plans to return tomorrow to respond to this animal."

This was the second response to a large whale on a beach this week. A minke whale was found dead on Indian Wells Beach in Amagansett on Monday. It was also decomposed. 

Originally, 1 p.m.: A whale washed up on the East Hampton ocean shoreline on Wednesday morning, the second this week. The heavily decomposed whale was found in the surf east of Old Beach Lane in East Hampton Village around the same time that a dead dolphin was found on the sand near the Main Beach jetty. 

Someone walking on the beach after the rain let up on Wednesday morning discovered the whale and reported it to East Hampton Village police. It was approximately 25 feet in length. Though photographs were sent to the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, its biologists could not identify the species until they saw it in person because of the decomposition, according to Rachel Bosworth, a spokeswoman.

An 18.7-foot minke whale was found on Indian Wells Beach in Amagansett on Monday afternoon. It was decomposed and missing many of its internal organs, including reproductive organs, so the conservation society could not determine its sex during a necropsy on Tuesday.

The dolphin was found just days after dolphins were seen breaching in the ocean waters between Montauk and Amagansett. 

It may be Thursday or Friday before the organization can get a team to East Hampton for a necropsy on the whale and on the dolphin.  

This was the 11th large whale that the organization responded to in New York this year. In 2017, there were 14 large whale strandings in the state, and in previous years the numbers have ranged between four and eight, Ms. Bosworth said.