VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A dead humpback whale was reported a few miles offshore from the Virginia Beach Oceanfront on Sunday, the same day another dead whale washed ashore, officials confirmed with 13News Now.
The second whale was reported floating around three miles off the shore of the Rudee Inlet in Virginia Beach, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
"NOAA Fisheries and our partners will continue to monitor for additional sightings to further document this whale, and will formulate response plans as needed," officials wrote to 13News Now.
A spokesperson for the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center in Virginia Beach said the whale landed on the coast of False Cape State Park.
"The Virginia Aquarium's Stranding Response Team is working with Park staff on response logistics. In the next few days, the Stranding Response team will assess and examine the whale," the spokesperson said.
It's the second dead humpback whale to have been spotted along the shoreline of the Virginia Beach Oceanfront this week. On Sunday morning, a young whale was found beached between 24th and 25th streets.
"It's like CSI, but for whales," said Mark Swingle, a conservation consultant with the Virginia Aquarium Foundation. "We are trying to determine a cause of death, or if it had any diseases."
Rescue staff from the Virginia Aquarium used heavy equipment to move the juvenile humpback whale out of the surf. Aquarium staff said the whale is a male, aged 4-10 years old, and nearly 32 feet long.
Experts on the first whale necropsy said the whale did show signs of "entanglement," but could not rule that as the reason for its death. However, it is possible.
"We've found that the leading cause of death for these whales is ship strikes, or entanglement, or fishing gear," said Swingle. "It can and is a big problem around here."
To report stranded marine mammals, you can call NOAA's Stranding Hotline at 866-755-6622 and the Virginia Aquarium's Stranding Response Hotline at 757-385-7575.