AMSEAS said the roughly 40-foot whale was spotted offshore south of Long Island on March 26 before stranding in Queens on March 27.
Published Mar 27, 2026 9:16 AM CDT
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Updated Mar 27, 2026 9:16 AM CDT
A whale that washed up on a beach in Queens, New York, on March 27, 2026. (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation)
A whale washed up on Rockaway Beach in Queens, New York, on March 27, prompting a response from the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society and multiple agencies.
The animal was identified as a sei whale measuring about 40 feet long, AMSEAS said. An aerial survey team initially spotted the carcass floating offshore about 15 miles south of Long Island on March 26, and photos confirmed it was the same animal that had later washed up in Rockaway.
AMSEAS said it is working with local authorities and partners, including the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and NOAA Fisheries, to secure and monitor the whale. The group said its team is coordinating response plans to document the animal and conduct a necropsy on March 28.
Officials reminded the public that marine mammals are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and advised people to keep at least 150 feet away and report sightings like this to the New York State Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding Hotline at 631-369-9829.