Sea Tow Central New Jersey reported to a series of channels between the Oyster Creek Channel and Double Creek Channel in Barnegat Bay, near the north end of Long Beach Island, New Jersey, after receiving a report of a whale in the area on Aug. 2. Upon arrival, the Sea Tow crew confirmed it was a Minke whale approximately 22 feet in length. The crew immediately notified the Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC) in Brigantine and remained in the area to monitor the whale’s location and activity and provide the MMSC with real-time updates. The whale collided with a small boat later that afternoon, according to Sea Tow, and eventually died. MMSC, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and other agencies later planned to recover the whale with Sea Tow’s help for a necropsy. Sea Tow later secured and towed the whale to Island Beach State Park. seatow.com