COCOA BEACH, Fla. - A dead female humpback whale discovered on the beach over the weekend may help explain why so many of the endangered species - nearly 30 - have died in the Atlantic Ocean this year.

Researchers were able to take the skull, reproductive organs, blubber and other tissue to examine them and possibly figure out the cause of death. The year-old, 4,000-pound calf was found Saturday morning by beachgoers about three blocks south of the Cocoa Beach Pier, according to police.

The dead whale is a huge find for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, which has monitored a sharp increase in humpback deaths since last summer. Observers have spotted bloated, rotting carcasses in the ocean, but this is the first stranded leviathan from which they can get fresh biological samples, NOAA Fisheries spokeswoman Terri Friday said.

“We don’t get a lot of opportunities to sample, so necropsies are very important,” she told Florida Today.

Such samples can provide a life history of the animal, its food habits, illnesses and viruses that might compromise the rest of the population, the presence of biotoxins or injuries that indicate a cause of death, she said.

Mendy Garron, the northeast stranding coordinator for NOAA Fisheries, said her agency has noticed a sharp increase in humpback deaths since July in the feeding grounds in New England, “so we will be investigating any mortalities as they migrate south.”

Including Saturday’s stranding, 28 deaths have been recorded this year along the entire eastern Atlantic coast, compared with an average 10 to 15 deaths annually.

Garron said it is a significant number for a population of 8,000 to 10,000 whales. Ideally, to have a successful reproduction rate, she said there should be no more than three deaths a year.

Source:http://www.bradenton.com