- The first whale, a 25-foot-long sperm whale, was found dead on Friday, Feb. 17, about 10 miles off Key West.
- The second whale, a 35-foot-long humpback whale, was found dead on Saturday, Feb. 18, about 20 miles off Key Largo.
- The third whale, a 40-foot-long whale shark, was found alive but struggling on Sunday, Feb. 19, about 30 miles off Key Biscayne. It was towed to a marina in Miami, where it received medical attention.
NOAA Fisheries is investigating the cause of death of the two dead whales. So far, the agency has not determined the cause of death for either whale, but it says there is no evidence of human interaction or human-related trauma.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is assisting in the investigation.
The agency says that the whales were both healthy when they were found, and that there is no evidence of illness.
FWC officials say that they are considering all possible causes of death, including:
- disease,
- injuries from boat strikes, and
- natural causes.
The whales will be necropsied to determine the cause of death.
The deaths of the whales are a tragic loss for the ocean ecosystem. Whales play an important role in the food chain, and they help to keep the ocean healthy.
