NOAA Fisheries is declaring the recent deaths of 41 humpback whales from 2016 through present from Maine to North Carolina to be an unusual mortality event, triggering a focused, expert investigation into the cause.
![A floating, deceased humpback whale carcass reported on July 5, 2016 at the mouth of the Delaware Bay. (Image credit: Courtesy of MERR Institute) A floating, deceased humpback whale carcass reported on July 5, 2016 at the mouth of the Delaware Bay.](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_width_1275/public/legacy/image/2019/Jun/PHOTO%20-%20deceased%20humpback%20July%202016%20Delaware%20Bay%20MERR%20Institute%20Credit.jpg?itok=8sG3wFgz)
A floating, deceased humpback whale carcass reported on July 5, 2016 at the mouth of the Delaware Bay. (Image credit: Courtesy of MERR Institute)