Dead Humpback Whale Washes Up on New Jersey Beach, the 9th to Do So on N.Y.-N.J. Coast in 2 Months

"I’m currently standing on the beach a few hundred feet from the Manasquan Inlet watching yet another dead whale wash into the surf," wrote Mayor Paul Kanitra of Point Pleasant Beach

A 35-foot humpback whale was found dead on a New Jersey beach on Monday — one of nine to wash up along the New York-New Jersey coastline in the last two months.

The tide brought the 29,000-pound aquatic creature in after it was seen floating off the coast of Manasquan Beach located on the Jersey shore, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) officials confirmed, according to Fox News.

The outlet reported the NOAA officials said they were conducting tests to determine the whale's age and cause of death.

Point Pleasant Beach Mayor Paul Kanitra shared photos of the sea mammal on Facebook, comparing it to the "size of a bus."

"I'm currently standing on the beach a few hundred feet from the Manasquan Inlet watching yet another dead whale wash into the surf," wrote Mayor Kanitra. "It could easily come ashore in Point Pleasant Beach."

Kanitra added, "Hoping to hear the results of the autopsy soon and hoping that testing is done openly and transparently."

The mayor urged for action to be taken given the humpback found on the Manasquan Beach is the ninth whale to wash up on the New York and New Jersey shores in the last two months, according to Fox News.

Six of the nine whales died in New Jersey, and 22 total have been seen stranded along the East Coast, the outlet reported.

Mayor Kanitra added in his post that he plans to get to the "bottom of this."

Addressing New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Kanitra added, "Governor, when do these stop becoming coincidences? How many more will it take?"

The NOAA said the Atlantic coast — which spans the shores of Maine to Virginia — has seen this "unusual mortality event" has been occurring at a fluctuating rate since 2016, totaling 183 humpback whale deaths, per Fox News.

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Over the weekend, another humpback was found dead off the southeastern coast of Virginia — the third whale discovered in less than a week. The creature was just a few miles from the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, which is one of two operational wind farms in federal waters.

In response to the whale deaths, a dozen mayors in the state of New Jersey recently penned a letter pleading with federal and state officials to enact an immediate moratorium on offshore wind development.

Despite the debates sparked between lawmakers and environmental organizations, NOAA officials said that offshore wind activities have not been attributed to the whales's causes of death, per Fox News.