INDIAN RIVER BAY, DE - A dead humpback whale found in the Indian River Bay last week has finally been washed back out to sea.
The whale was first discovered in the shallow waters of the Indian River Bay on March 31. It was the second dead humpback whale in Delaware waters in March.
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), along with the MERR Institute and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), launched coordinated efforts to dislodge the whale from the sandbar it had washed onto.
Those efforts, due to the whale’s weight and the shallow waters, proved unsuccessful. Tides and high winds then postponed further attempts to tow the whale to land for a necropsy, according to the MERR Institute.
On April 9, MERR says another attempt was launched, but recent heavy rain and westerly winds had already floated the whale off the sandbar and into the Indian River Inlet. After momentarily becoming lodged against the inlet’s rocks, the tide and winds finally carried the whale back out to sea.
A stranding coordinator was able to access the whale via small boat while it was in the bay, according to MERR. Responders say samples were collected that will be evaluated for genetics and health indicators.
“MERR wants to thank all who assisted with this challenging process, including DNREC, Cape Water Tours, and Tow Boat US,” MERR said in a statement. “Ultimately nature took its course and moved the whale for us. We don’t know if it will wash back in, but as always, we appreciate the help of boaters and beachgoers in reporting any sightings of the carcass.”
Anyone who spots the whale can contact MERR’s stranding hotline at 302-228-5029.