2LT International News

NEW YORK CITY, New York: The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society said a 25-foot minke whale, which had injuries that were consistent with being struck by a vessel, has been found washed ashore on a New York City beach.

The female whale was found on Rockaway Beach in Queens, and had several injuries that appear to have occurred before its death, including broken bones and cuts, the group said.

While preliminary evidence points to a vessel strike, more analysis is being done and an autopsy was planned, it added.

Earlier in the week, a 35-foot female humpback whale was found dead on Manasquan Beach in New Jersey. The Marine Mammal Stranding Center said the whale also had signs of having been struck by a vessel.

The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration said it has been investigating the deaths of humpback and other whales along the East Coast for the past several years.

During a briefing last month for the media, held two days after a humpback whale washed ashore on Assateague Island, Maryland and aimed at addressing concerns about whale deaths, agency officials said they found no evidence linking the incidents to the offshore wind power industry.