RODANTHE, N.C. — The law enforcement office within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is investigating the death of a humpback whale that washed up off of Pea Island on Tuesday.
The whale, a 31.5-foot juvenile female humpback, was first reported stranded about 150 yards off of Rodanthe on Saturday. The next day, it was reported by a local fisherman to have been entangled in fishing gear, NOAA said Wednesday.
Environment
Dead whale found off Virginia Beach coast was hit by a vessel, NOAA confirms
Three days later, it was found stranded on the shore of Pea Island with fishing gear around its fin and in its mouth.
In a post on Facebook Tuesday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services in North Carolina said the whale washed up at the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge. They continued to say in the post that the whale was anchored so biologists could perform a necropsy when the tide allowed.
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