Dead Whale Washes Up on Napeague

Update, 4:52 p.m.: The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society said Thursday afternoon that a necropsy on a humpback whale that washed up on Napeague earlier that day will be performed Friday morning. 

The necropsy will allow the team to collect data and help determine a cause of death. It may take several hours to complete. 

The whale is about 30 to 35 feet in length. Its exact measurements could not be taken because it is in the surf, according to the conservation society. 

"Because the animal is in the surf it is dangerous for the public to get closer. We strongly urge people to keep a minimum distance of the recommended 150 feet at all times," the society said in a press release. 

The society said this is the sixth humpback whale it has responded to this year. "There is an ongoing unusual mortality event in effect along the Atlantic Coast that has impacted more than 75 humpback whales since 2016," the statement said. 

Originally: A deceased humpback whale washed up on Napeague on Thursday morning, and officials are trying to determine how best to remove it. 

The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society said it received a report of the dead whale from United States Coast Guard Montauk Station around 8:30 a.m. 

A team from the conservation society responded around 1:30 p.m. and will come up with a response plan.

Joanne Pilgrim, a spokeswoman for the Town of East Hampton, said that first thing Friday morning a necropsy will be performed. The carcass will then be cut up into small pieces and disposed of, she said. 

This article has been updated with more information since it was first posted.