Dead Humpback Whale Washes ashore in Winthrop

By Adam Swift

A young humpback whale was stranded at high tide and washed ashore on Washington Avenue last week.

The whale was stranded around 12:30 p.m., according to officials from Whale and Dolphin Conservation.

A team from WDC was on the scene the next day to collect information about the whale and in an attempt to perform a necropsy. According to WDC officials, whales are ecosystem engineers who are vital to the health of the planet and that to better protect them, it’s important to understand more about this whale’s life and their death.

WDC is authorized by NOAA and the National Marine Fisheries Service to respond to stranded marine mammals between Plymouth and Revere MA.

Town Manager Tony Marino said the town followed up with a plan to tow the whale out to sea on Sunday.

“Special thanks to NOAA, WDC, and our own Winthrop Harbormaster’s office for working with us to develop a plan,” Marino said. “The whale was towed out into deep waters approximately 30 miles off the coast of Cape Cod and was sunk. This was not the ideal disposal plan, but given the limited local burial options, it was the only choice left.”

The total cost to remove the whale and tow it out to sea was approximately $40,000; after negotiating with NOAA, Winthrop will pay $7,500 of that total, Marino stated.

“We appreciate all of the State and Federal agencies that contributed to making this plan happen,” the town manager said.

WDC officials said it was disappointing that they were not able to conduct a full necropsy, as the team always aims to collect as much data as possible to better understand why the animal stranded, help further conservation efforts, and aid in infectious disease monitoring for public safety. In consultation with NOAA, a decision has been made to tow the whale offshore.

 If anyone finds a marine mammal in distress, they can call the  WDC’s hotline at (617) 688-6872.