Humpback whale washes up on Outer Banks with evidence of shark bites, officials say

A “stink alert” has been issued for parts of the Outer Banks after yet another dead whale showed up off the Carolinas.

The 18-foot humpback washed ashore on Pea Island, a half-mile north of Rodanthe, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The island is part of Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

Large bite marks indicate it was chewed on by sharks, officials said.

“It’s in a decent state of decay already and displays some evidence of shark activity. Not necessarily the cause of death. That likely happened after,” USFW officials said in a Facebook post.

“Given its current size and state, we anticipate it will remain on the beach (and stink) for awhile. It’s certainly possible as it decomposes more that parts of it separate and wash up on any sections of the beach.”

It marks the second time in two weeks that a dead whale has been reported off the Carolinas. The other, an 11-year-old North Atlantic right whale, spent days drifting south off South Carolina, 20 miles from shore. It also attracted hungry sharks, including a large great white in the 12 to 15-foot range, the S.C. officials said.

A cause of death for the humpback whale has not been given by marine biologists who visited the scene.

Parts of it have already starting to break off and drift away, spreading the smell, according to passerby Kyle Barniak, a supervisor for The Grounds Pros OBX.

“There are already chunks of blubber about 1.5 miles south of remains,” he told McClatchy News. “It doesn’t smell as bad as you would think. We’ve been on the cool side for a few days and foggy.”

US Fish and Wildlife Service officials said National Park Service and Pea Island Wildlife Refuge biologists visited the beach “to complete a field assessment, collect tissue samples, and photograph the carcass.” The death will also be reported to the Marine Mammal Stranding Network, officials said.

Whale deaths are often attributed to vessel strikes and entanglement with fishing gear, experts say.

This story was originally published March 18, 2021 at 10:25 PM with the headline "Humpback whale washes up on Outer Banks with evidence of shark bites, officials say."