Whale Washes Ashore At RI Beach

NARRAGANSETT, RI — A whale washed up on Scarborough State Beach in Narragansett Sunday. The whale, identified as a 15-foot juvenile Northern or Common Minke, washed ashore during high tide around 11 a.m.

The DEM informed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the two agencies will investigate the whale's death. Michael Healey, a spokesperson for the DEM, said a marine biologist inspected the whale and saw no signs of physical injury or indications that it had been struck by a boat or entangled by a fishing line.

The whale was buried Monday morning at low tide. Crews dragged it with a skid steer loader toward Black Point and lowered it into a hole that had been dug with a backhoe, Healey said.

Minke whales can grow to up to 35 feet and weigh as much as 20,000 pounds. They are the smallest baleen whale in North American waters.

"We understand that people might be sad about the beaching," Healey said. "Whales are magnificent and it is sad when one dies. It's a big ocean and marine mammal strandings occur frequently."

Healey said Minke whales are not considered to be threatened.