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What to do if you encounter a stranded marine mammal
If you discover a stranded marine mammal along the Jersey Shore, contact the Marine Mammal stranding center at 609-266-0538.
A humpback whale was spotted in the Manasquan Inlet on Friday morning.The Marine Mammal Stranding Center is monitoring the situation, concerned the whale could become stranded.The sighting occurs during the fall migration of marine life along the Jersey Shore.
MANASQUAN ‑- The Marine Mammal Stranding Center is monitoring the Manasquan Inlet following the sighting of a humpback whale in the waterway on Friday morning.
Sheila Dean, executive director of the MMSC in Brigantine, said the humpback whale was last observed in the morning hours and they’re hoping the whale made its way out into the ocean. If not, there is concern the large marine mammal could become stranded in the shallow confines of the Manasquan River.
Manasquan residents Karen Duncan and her husband Robert Sherman observed the whale in the inlet around 8 a.m. Friday, Nov. 7. Duncan said they were having breakfast at the inlet when she first spotted the animal, which she mistook for a dolphin before getting out of the car and getting a better look at it.
Duncan described it as a “small” whale that seemed to be struggling in the current. The tide was still coming in as peak high was 8:19 a.m. at Manasquan Inlet. Duncan said they first observed it swimming west, before it turned and headed east to the ocean.
However, the second time they observed the whale, it was further west in the river, closer to the Fisherman’s Cove Conservation Area, what people colloquially call the “doggy beach.” They then observed the whale as it turned and slowly headed again for the ocean. That was the last she said they observed it.
The fall migration of bait, gamefish and larger marine life, such as great white sharks and whales, is well underway along the Jersey Shore. Earlier this week, fishermen observed large bluefin tuna chasing menhaden baitfish off the Ocean County barrier islands. There has also been thick schools of anchovies and mackerel observed by fishermen in the surf zones.
When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him at dradel@gannettnj.com.