Biologists say ocean trash likely led to a whale’s stranding and death

Sperm whale found in the Florida Keys. (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Southeast division reported a 47-foot male sperm whale stranded off the Gulf of Mexico in the Florida Keys.

Biologists found a mass of fishing line, pieces of net and plastic bags in its stomach. A tweet by NOAA Fish Southeast revealed the whale was emaciated and the debris probably didn’t allow the whale to eat properly.

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According to the Miami Herald the whale weighed 40 tons and beached itself off Mud Key from the Gulf of Mexico Tuesday. A necropsy revealed the trash inside the whale’s stomach, likely causing its death.


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