Word of a dead humpback whale drifting off the coast here spread through the local fishing pipeline this weekend, but the mammal's whereabouts may now be lost.

What killed it may never be known, either.

Bob Schoelkopf, the executive director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, said he hadn't received any new calls on the whale's location when he spoke to an Asbury Park Press reporter Tuesday morning.

Captain Kris Black of the Fish Stix charter boat informed the Press that he sighted a deceased whale two miles off the coast of Long Branch on Sunday. He said the whale was drifting south at the time.

On Monday, what most likely was the same whale was spotted by fishermen between Monmouth Beach and Sandy Hook, north of where Black first saw it.

The whale appears to be about 25 to 30 feet in length, judging by its size in a video taken of the marine mammal. See the video at the top of this story.

The U.S. Coast Guard had issued a notice to mariners to avoid striking the corpse.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, which is investigating an active humpback whale unusual mortality event along the Atlantic Coast, was also notified.

Story continues below the gallery.

Since 2016, 100 humpback whale mortalities have been reported, not including this one. About half of those whales had a necropsy performed and 50 percent of them had evidence of human interaction, either ship strike or entanglement.

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This recent humpback is the first humpback death reported on the New Jersey coast this year, said Allison Ferreira, a spokesperson for NOAA.

There have been eight so far on the entire Atlantic Coast for 2019, two of which were found in New York. So far, it's fewer humpacks than last year, when 25 mortalities were confirmed.

It's not the first dead whale at the Jersey Shore this summer, though. A juvenile minke whale died after getting trapped in Sandy Hook Bay in June.

The cause of death of this recent whale might not be known unless the whale beaches. In that case, a necropsy could be performed if the whale's corpse is not too decomposed.

A driting whale carcass poses some risk to bathers because it may attract sharks.

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In August 2016, a wounded dolphin was apparently attacked by a shark or multiple sharks 50 feet from the beach on Long Beach Island.

In the case of a drifting whale carcass, there is no exact protocol. Local beaches may take their own steps.

Chris Keiper, deputy chief of Long Branch's Ocean Rescue, said they would close the area of the beach including the water in that area until the whale is removed.

Schoelkopf, who is NOAA's local marine stranding partner, said they don't tow deceased whales out to sea because they may just end up washing up on another town's beach.

About humpback whales

Humpback whales are thought to live 80 to 90 years. They can reach 60 feet in length and weigh up to 40 tons. They eat 3,000 pounds of food per day. They're found throughout the world, though there exist distinct populations tied to breeding grounds.

Before a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1985, all populations of humpback whales were greatly reduced, some by more than 95 percent.

The species is increasing in abundance in much of its range but faces threats from entanglement in fishing gear, vessel strikes, vessel-based harassment, underwater noise and habitat impacts.

When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where is a history professor. Reach him @danielradelapp; 732-643-4072; dradel@gannettnj.com