Right whale died from lobster gear entanglement, NOAA confirms

By Daniel Cusick | 10/03/2024 04:09 PM EDT

The federal agencies issued the final necropsy in the January death of the North Atlantic right whale.

Necropsy (animal autopsy) of North Atlantic right whale #5120.

The necropsy of North Atlantic right whale #5120, which washed up on shore in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, in January. NOAA Fisheries

Federal scientists say an endangered North Atlantic right whale found dead on a Massachusetts shoreline last winter suffered fatal injuries from being chronically entangled in lobster fishing gear.

NOAA Fisheries issued a final necropsy report Wednesday saying that a rope “deeply embedded in the tail” of the dead whale “is consistent with the rope used in Maine state water trap/bouy lines.”

Officials said the finding came after consultation with New England state resource management partners who also viewed the gear, and that full results of the necropsy are forthcoming.

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NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement also continues to investigate the case.F

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