Overview
- The endangered sei whale that washed onto Rockaway Beach in Queens on Thursday, March 26 was about 40 feet long and marked New York’s first whale death of 2026.
- Responders confirmed the carcass was the same one seen floating about 15 miles south of Long Island earlier in the week and AMSEAS, NYC Parks, NYSDEC and NOAA secured the site.
- Experts began a necropsy Friday and reported abrasions and deep bruising on the whale’s right side that are consistent with a vessel strike, with final lab results expected in weeks.
- Officials warned onlookers to keep at least 150 feet away and noted that all whales are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which bars handling or harming them.
- The incident fits a recent pattern in the New York Bight, where heavy boat traffic and fishing gear are known risks and responders logged 10 whale fatalities last year.