A Rare Whale Is Found Dead Off Georgia

A rare North Atlantic right whale was found dead this week off the coast of Georgia, the second fatality in recent weeks involving the critically endangered species, the federal agency that monitors the oceans said.

North Atlantic right whales, which can grow to be larger than some motor yachts, are usually found feeding and breeding within 30 miles of the East Coast of the United States and off the coast of Atlantic Canada, but the agency has said the animals are approaching extinction and are subject to injuries from fishing gear and strikes by vessels.

The whale that died was the female calf of the North Atlantic right whale No. 4340, also known as Pilgrim, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a statement on Thursday. The agency was notified on Tuesday that there was a dead whale floating offshore near Savannah, Ga.

The whale, born in 2022, was identified after an aerial survey team from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute searched and found the carcass on Wednesday about 20 miles off Tybee Island, which is about 18 miles east of Savannah.

The aerial assist made it possible for a team from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to go near the carcass to “attach a satellite tag, and collect photos and samples to help identify the whale,” NOAA said.

NOAA said that it would work with its partners to determine the logistics of towing the carcass to shore as well as whether a necropsy was possible, given the whale’s condition and weather concerns. A photo shared by the agency showed that sharks were heavily scavenging the carcass.

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