MARBLEHEAD — A dead humpback whale was discovered on the shore of Phillips Beach on Tuesday morning. The corpse was a familiar site for many, as a whale was also discovered on the neighboring Preston Beach in Marblehead on April 25. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed that the whale in Swampscott is the same that washed ashore in Marblehead last month.
A satellite tag was placed on the body of the whale on May 2, and it was left in an offshore release location. The location was selected by the NOAA due to the “minimal possibility of the carcass coming back to shore.”
“The whale did not decompose as quickly as expected,” NOAA Communications Specialist and Public Affairs Officer Andrea Gomez said on behalf of the administration.
The NOAA will soon begin working with the Environmental Protection Agency, the state’s Environmental Police, and the Town of Swampscott to develop a disposal plan.
When the whale was first discovered in April, Marine Mammal Rescue conducted an external exam. However, no obvious cause of death was discovered. A thorough necropsy was later performed. Gomez said the NOAA is still waiting on its results, which could take up to several months.
According to MMR Director of Marine Mammal Conservation Ashley Stokes, the dead whale was a 41.7-foot-long female. Stokes said that whales are considered adults when they reach 42 feet in length.
Resident Tessa Cappuccio was one of the many passersby who observed Tuesday’s scene. She said that in her 15 years of living in Swampscott, she had never seen a whale in any capacity. Now, she and her two young children have seen the same whale twice in three weeks.
“It’s crazy,” Cappuccio said. “But it’s good for the kids to see nature and understand what happens to things in the ocean.”
Cappuccio’s 3-year-old daughter Lucy lamented that she felt really bad for the deceased creature.
According to Swampscott Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald, the whale is now Swampscott’s responsibility moving forward. He gave credit to Marblehead Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer for his assistance and input with the situation.
in Swampscott Tuesday morning.