22 Large Whale Strandings Along US Atlantic Coast in 2023

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• Since 1 December 2022, there have been 22 large whale strandings along the US Atlantic coast, including 15 humpback whales, three sperm whales, two North Atlantic right whales, one sei whale and one minke whale.
• Of the five species washed up in recent months, three are considered vulnerable or endangered: North Atlantic right whales, sperm whales and sei whales.
• NOAA has been investigating the seven-year-long unusual mortality event, but there is no one cause responsible for every whale stranding.
• Potential causes of strandings include unusual winds, tidal patterns and ocean currents, noise created by surveying equipment for offshore wind turbine installations, and an increase in the food source for humpback whales.
• Whaling bans and fishing regulations have allowed humpback whales to balloon from around 400 individuals in the 1980s to more than 80,000 today.

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Whale Strandings Along US Atlantic Coast

Since 1 December 2022, there have been 22 large whale strandings along the US Atlantic coast, including 15 humpback whales, three sperm whales, two North Atlantic right whales, one sei whale and one minke whale.

This number of deaths so early in the calendar year is abnormal, and is already rivalling last year’s totals.

Of the five species washed up in recent months, three are considered vulnerable or endangered: North Atlantic right whales, sperm whales and sei whales.

Humpback whales and North Atlantic right whales are the species most commonly stranded on the US Atlantic coast, though humpbacks typically account for the bulk of strandings.

Investigating the Unusual Mortality Event

NOAA has been investigating the seven-year-long unusual mortality event, but there is no one cause responsible for every whale stranding.

In some cases, there are clear clues, such as multiple whales beached in New Jersey with deep gashes probably caused by a boat propeller.

In other cases, marine biologists must perform necropsies to try to find a cause of death.

Of the 178 humpback whale deaths that NOAA has investigated as part of the unusual mortality event, around half underwent necropsies.

Potential Causes of Strandings

Unusual winds, tidal patterns and ocean currents can increase the chance that whales will become stranded on a beach, and such changes could be exacerbated by climate change.

Some blame the unusually high mortality events on the noise created by surveying equipment for offshore wind turbine installations, though NOAA says there is no evidence to support the claims.

The food source for humpback whales is increasing, which may be causing them to hang around their feeding grounds for longer than usual, putting them in the path of a major shipping route.

Another explanation for the surge in beached whales could be that some species are recovering from the edge of extinction, leading to a greater overall number of stranding events.

Whaling bans and fishing regulations have allowed humpback whales to balloon from around 400 individuals in the 1980s to more than 80,000 today.

NOAA is continuing to investigate the seven-year-long unusual mortality event, and is looking into the various potential causes of the recent surge in whale strandings.

It is important to note that the number of deaths so early in the calendar year is abnormal, and that the three endangered species of whales are particularly vulnerable to such events.