Humpback whale found dead in Greifswald Lagoon

A dead humpback whale, approximately seven meters long, was discovered drifting in the Greifswald Lagoon on the German Baltic coast. The carcass was first spotted by the crew of the Polish yacht ‘Dar Szczecina’.

While official confirmation is pending, animal welfare organization ‘Stranded No More’ believes the whale is ‘Hartwin’, a humpback that has been tracked in the Baltic Sea for several weeks. Experts from the German Oceanographic Museum in Stralsund have confirmed the death and are transporting the animal to the island of Dänholm for a necropsy to determine the cause of death.

Marine experts note that the Baltic Sea is an unsuitable environment for humpback whales due to its shallow waters, low salinity, and limited food supply. The presence of these whales in the region has raised concerns regarding their survival and the potential for strandings, similar to the previous case of a whale known as ‘Timmy’.