A female North Atlantic right whale was found dead this weekend near Martha's Vineyard, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries said Monday.
The whale was found dead and entangled in a rope near Joseph Sylvia State Beach in Edgartown on Sunday, according to NOAA Fisheries.
The deceased female is estimated to be a juvenile because of her size, NOAA Fisheries said.
NOAA Fisheries and the International Fund for Animal Welfare are working with environmental police, Edgartown police, Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute "on the next steps."
IFAW and the tribe were able to secure the whale, NOAA Fisheries said, and a necropsy will be performed.
The whale was found with the rope entangled near her tail around the peduncle, NOAA Fisheries said.
"Due to the animal's position, the whale cannot be identified at this time," NOAA Fisheries said in a written statement.
North Atlantic right whales are nearing extinction, with about 360 remaining, including less than 70 reproductively active females, according to NOAA Fisheries.
Main threats to this animal are entanglement in fishing gear and vessel strikes, NOAA Fisheries said.
"Climate change is also affecting every aspect of their survival," added the federal agency.
Anyone who spots an injured or stranded whale, dead or alive, should maintain a 150-foot distance, according to NOAA Fisheries.
The sightings can be reported to The Greater Atlantic Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline can be reached at 866-755-6622 and the Southeast Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline at 877-942-5343.
