(Fox News) Humpback whales are dying at an alarming rate off America's East Coast with more than 40 washing ashore in little over a year, and U.S. scientists are investigating why it is happening.
An “unusual mortality event” has been declared for East Coast humpback whales, defined as "a stranding that is unexpected; involves a significant die-off of any marine mammal population; and demands immediate response.” Stranding, in this case, means the whale has died.
In response to a large increase in the humpback whale death toll along the Eastern Seaboard, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced an investigation on Thursday into the deaths, which have been occurring on the Atlantic coast, stretching from Maine to North Carolina.