A dead whale found on the bow of a ship in South Jersey sparks an investigation

After a dead whale was found on the bow of a container ship docked in New Jersey, authorities were working Tuesday to remove the carcass and determine the endangered animal’s cause of death.

The Marine Mammal Stranding Center, a New Jersey-based animal rescue service, said in a social media post that the whale was reported Sunday by the U.S. Coast Guard at the Gloucester Marine Terminal. The port is at the base of the Walt Whitman Bridge linking New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The center said in a follow-up post Tuesday that it was working to tow the carcass away in order to conduct a necropsy and determine how the whale died.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Tuesday confirmed its enforcement office has opened an investigation into the death but declined to comment further. It said anyone with information about the dead whale should call the agency’s hotline.

The deceased animal is believed to be a fin whale between 25 to 30 feet long (7.6 to 9.1 meters), the center said. The endangered species is known to swim in waters from southern New Jersey to the New York City area.

Populations of the massive mammals have gradually recovered in the Atlantic Ocean thanks to conservation efforts after becoming nearly extinct from commercial hunting. All dolphins, porpoises and whales are protected by the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act, which makes touching, feeding or otherwise harming them illegal.

Fin whales are the second-largest animals behind the blue whale. Fully grown, they can reach up to 85 feet (25.9 meters) long and weigh between 40 and 80 tons (36.3 and 72.6 metric tons).

The giant mammals are found throughout the world and are threatened by ship strikes, fishing gear entanglements and the effects of climate change, among other challenges.