From our Borough Administrator Karen Kroon:
On Thursday, March 2 a deceased juvenile Humpback whale washed ashore in the Borough of Seaside Park. Notification was made to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center and within a few hours multiple agencies and resources were on the ground in our Borough to assist.
The Borough would like to thank and recognize everyone that helped support the mission of retrieving the whale from the surf, relocation, necropsy and, ultimately, the disposal of the whale.
Many Thanks To:
· The Marine Mammal Stranding Center
· Atlantic Marine Conservation Society
· National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
· NJDEP – NJ State Park Service
· NJDEP – Fish and Wildlife Bureau of Law Enforcement
· Seaside Park Department of Public Works
· Seaside Heights Department of Public Works
· Seaside Park Police Department
· Seaside Park Volunteer Fire Department – Station 45
· Seaside Heights Volunteer Fire Department – Station 44
· Tri-Boro First Aid Squad
· Bill Major for allowing the whale to be staged and necropsied on Funtown Beach and for lending and operating the heavy equipment necessary to move the whale
· The Sawmill Restaurant for feeding the volunteers and staff at the conclusion of the mission
Through the efforts of all these agencies, individuals and corporate citizens the mission was completed in about 30 hours.
