Already the 17th humpback whale washed ashore on Long Island (5 photos)

Another humpback whale washed up on Long Island on Friday making it at least the 17th time whales have been found washed ashore along the East Coast this year.





The whale is 18 to 20 feet long, officials say. (5.5-6.1 m) was found washed ashore by passers-by Robert Moses State Park.

The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society stated that it a floating carcass of a whale was alerted about one mile south of Ocean Beach on Fire Island Thursday night before a massive the mammal washed ashore.



The cause of death of the humpback whale was not immediately established, but will be established by the Atlantic Society for the Conservation of the Marine Environment.

Crews arrived at the beach to remove the carcass with a bulldozer.

According to the National Oceanic and atmospheric research, it was at least the 17th death humpback whale between Maine and Florida this year that the agency called it "an unusual case of death."





Seven humpback whales washed ashore in New Jersey and three in New York.

According to NOAA, at least 36 "large" whales, including four minke whales in February were washed ashore along East Coast from December 1st. Several dolphins also ended up on aground.



An alarming surge in beached whales has caused heated debate among politicians and activist groups, some of them blamed for the loss of life and the construction of coastal wind turbines.

A large percentage of whale deaths are attributed to human interactions such as collisions with ships.

The humpback whale found on Friday at Robert Moses' there were outward signs of injury from a collision with a boat, such as a cut, the regional director of New York State Park told ABC7 George "Chip" Gordon.