Clues Emerge About Whale’s Boat Collision in Barnegat Bay

Brigantine's Marine Mammal Stranding Center and a team of experts performed a necropsy -- an animal autopsy -- on the Minke whale that died after it collided with a boat on Barnegat Bay on Saturday.

The 26-foot, 4-inch female whale was found to have cuts and bruises on her body, blood in her lungs, and very little food in her system.

A Team of Experts Examined the Body of a Minke Whale

According to a Facebook post, a team from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, Cornell University, and the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society conducted a necropsy on the Minke whale that became stranded at Double Creek Channel in Barnegat Bay on Saturday, August 2.

Preliminary findings show that the whale was thin and sickly.

Superficial cuts were present externally, with bruising present in the blubber and muscle in the areas of trauma on her dorsal side.

Blood was present in the lungs. The GI tract was empty with very little digestive material present, and a scant amount of fecal matter. Lesions were present in her stomach.

Samples were collected during the necropsy examination and will be sent to a pathologist for further analysis.

The whale was buried on the beach following the examination.

Whale's Collision With Boat Got National Attention

A video of a whale colliding with a boat in Barnegat Bay, knocking one person overboard and almost causing the boat to capsize, drew national attention.

The whale died shortly after the collision, and her body was resting on a sandbar in shallow water.

Heavy equipment was brought in, and the whale's body was moved on Monday with the assistance of Sea Tow.