Michelle Kim

Day After Being Spotted Floating in Waters, Dead Whale Washes Up on Queens Beach

A dead humpback whale washed up on the Rockaways in Queens Tuesday morning, hours after the U.S. Coast Guard reported seeing it floating nine miles offshore.

The whale, about 25 to 30 feet in length, washed up on the beach at 117th Street at about 7 a.m., authorities said. The Coast Guard first spotted it in the waters in Monday evening. 

The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society says it's working with the city's sanitation department and Office of Emergency Management to figure out how to perform an assessment and necropsy on site. They'll likely head out during the next low tide cycle late Tuesday or Wednesday, a spokeswoman says. 

"It is very important that the public maintain a distance of 150 feet from the whale at all times as these animals are federally protected," said AMCS spokeswoman Rachel Bosworth. "With the whale in the surf it is still dangerous to get closer as this animal may weigh around 25 tons."

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