MERR performs necropsy on humpback whale near Bethany

The Marine Education, Research and Rehabilitation Institute’s necropsy team performed a postmortem examination Jan. 9 of a juvenile male humpback whale that washed up in the Ocean Ridge community north of Bethany Beach a day earlier.

The deceased animal was spotted floating at sea about 2 miles off the Indian River Inlet. The 30-foot whale ultimately beached in the early afternoon Jan. 8. MERR was able to arrange assistance from the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to move it away from the water for safer access.

The necropsy team was able to discern that the whale had subdermal hemorrhaging and a broken jaw on the right side. This type of blunt-force injury is often associated with a large ship strike, and the nature of the wounds indicates that the whale was still alive when it was struck.

The whale was ultimately buried on the beach, which is the most common practice for the disposition of the body. Large whales cannot be safely towed out to sea, so burying them on the beach allows them to become an important part of the beach ecosystem.

“This was a tragic event, and we would like to thank everyone who helped to support us in our examination of this whale,” said MERR Executive Director Suzanne Thurman.

“MERR’s volunteers were as wonderful as ever and worked tirelessly to assist in examining the whale in a very short window of time. We would also like to thank DNREC for providing heavy equipment resources for towing and burial of the whale. They were able to tow the whale up onto the beach so we could safely examine it, and their staff was indispensable in helping us to position the whale so that we could get as much information as possible.”

To learn more about MERR, go to merrinstitute.org.