Passenger ejected from boat in deadly whale collision, resulting in whale's demise
In an unfortunate incident, a boat collided with a 20-foot-long minke whale off the Jersey Shore on Saturday, throwing one passenger overboard. The incident occurred near the inlet of Barnegat Bay, as reported by the New Jersey State Police.
The Marine Mammal Stranding Center was alerted about the whale at around 2:45 p.m. on Saturday. The boater who reported the collision to the Centre did so at around 3:40 p.m. A video shared on social media shows the boat swaying side to side upon impact with the whale. However, it appears the passenger who was thrown overboard managed to get out of the leviathan's mouth unharmed.
Sadly, the minke whale did not survive the collision. The carcass was found dead in shallow water outside the channel. The Marine Mammal Stranding Center, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the NJ State Police Marine Unit did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
While there are specific federal regulations to protect North Atlantic right whales, no separate New Jersey-specific regulations were identified for other whale species. However, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center advised boaters to keep a minimum of 150 feet away from the carcass of a minke whale for safety and conservation reasons.
It's worth noting that for North Atlantic right whales off the Jersey Shore, the minimum approach distance is 500 yards (1,500 feet) by federal law. This regulation, enforced by NOAA Fisheries, applies throughout the whales' range, including New Jersey waters.
This incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of maintaining a safe distance from marine mammals. Earlier this year, a humpback whale swallowed a man on a kayak off the coast of Chile, underscoring the potential dangers of such encounters.
Sophia Compton, a Digital Production Assistant at the website Digital, reported on this incident. Sophia graduated with a journalism degree in 2021 from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The carcass will be moved on Monday morning to a nearby state park for a necropsy. Further updates on the status of the boat and its crew are still pending.
Despite the tragic incident involving a boat and a minke whale off the Jersey Shore, it's crucial for boaters to respect sports like whale-watching by maintaining a safe distance from marine mammals. The Marine Mammal Stranding Center advises keeping at least 150 feet away from the carcass of a minke whale for safety and conservation purposes.
