Mass dolphin stranding in Taiwan

2026, May 27. Taiwan, Penghu, near Shagang Village. Three pantropical spotted dolphins were found dead after spending an extended period in a local harbor.

Image: Penghu County Government

Also: 2026, May 24. Ireland, Co. Cork, Lispatrick Lower, Garrylucas beach. A young adult Minke Whale 4.7 meters long stranded and died. COD: Unknown.

2026, May 24. USA, Washington, Olympic National Park, Unk. Dead whale floating offshore.

2026, May 25. Philippine Sea, the coastal waters northeast of the Bicol Peninsula, east of the island of Tinaga. Fireball.  Time: 10:33 p.m. local time (10:33 a.m. EDT). Travelling SSE.

2026, May 27. USA, Western New York and Southern Ontario. Fireball. Time: 05:15 LT. Sonic Boom reported.

Imagery captured by the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere at Colorado State

Japan Minke Whale cluster

Three Minke whales stranded in the Hokkaido prefecture in 16 days. I'm awaiting data for other regions. 

2025, October 20. Japan, Tokoro-cho, Kitami City, Hokkaido, Jounam Beach Beach. Minke Whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata). Location: 44.127234N 144.045590E. Length: 5m Gender: Female.

2025, November 2. Japan, Hokkaido, Mokoto Abashiri City. Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata). Location: 43.977015N 144.308199E. Length: 5m. Gender: Female.

2025, November 5. Japan, Hokkaido, Hamatonbetsu. Minke whale, (Balaenoptera acutorostrata). Long-Lat: 45.130366N 142.396021E. In advanced decomposition. Body length:5.1m

Sex: U.

Minke whale strands days after fireball

2025, August 2. USA, New Jersey, Barnegat Bay near the inlet. A Minke whale, approximately 20 feet in length, was in distress and struck a small vessel in shallow water. It died shortly after. It comes after the 30th July fireball. 2025, July 30. USA, Fireball. Seen in Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Travelling SW across the New York/New Jersey Bight.

Around 100 marine mammals washed up on the Belgian coast in 2024

In 2024, around 100 marine mammals washed up on the Belgian coast, including 36 harbour porpoises, 72 seals, and one young minke whale. Harbour porpoise strandings continue to decline, with 2024 marking the second-lowest number in 22 years. The cause of this decrease remains unknown, though fewer porpoises were observed in Belgian waters overall. Seal strandings have increased, reaching the second-highest count in 30 years. This rise is linked to growing populations in nearby countries. The minke whale that stranded in Ostend in May 2024 was very young and believed to have died from starvation after losing its mother. Although non-porpoise cetacean sightings remain rare, 2024 saw unusual observations including two live humpback whales, several dolphins, and another minke whale off the Belgian coast.

Cetacean Strandings

2025, May 7. Ireland, Galway. A minke whale, which is believed to be only a few months old, was refloated. Highly likely that it will die.  

2025, May 8. Canada, British Columbia, Long Beach, in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, near Tofino. Juvenile Gray whale.

2025, May 8. Aruba, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the southern Caribbean Sea 29 kilometres north of the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguaná and 80 kilometres northwest of Curaçao. Gervais' beaked whale located dead on beach.

Dead whale in Tasmania 35 km from mouth

Comes nine days after: 2025, January 28. Bass Strait, East of Flinders Island. Fireball. Travelling north to South. Time: 9:52UT or 2025-01-28 20:59AEDT. Seen in locations in Tasmania and Victoria, over 390 km apart.  

American Meteor Society

Image / Stewart Malone via Facebook  

Dead minke whale washes up in Tamar River - Pulse Tasmania

The importance of keeping deceased whale carcasses on the shore

2020, November. Netherlands, Rottumerplaat Island, a Wadden Island north of Groningen. Minke whale washed up. Scientists and researchers from the Wageningen Marine Research found 129 different types of beetle in the two years the carcass was rotting away. Around 74 of those had not been seen on the island earlier.

Beetles possibly came to Rottumerplaat island just to feed on whale carcass | NL Times

Minke whale dies in Scotland. Also, USA dolphin stranding rescue success. Update Meteor North Sea

2024, March 27. England and Scotland. North Sea. Large Meteor. Time: Around 23:19 UT. Traveling S.W.

2024, March 27. Scotland, beach at North Berwick harbour, around 20 miles (32km) east of Edinburgh. A 31-foot (9.5m) dead female minke whale.

Dead 30-foot minke whale washes up on UK beach (msn.com)

Google Maps

2024, March 27. USA, Herring Cove Beach in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Three common dolphins successfully floated back to deep water after being located swimming in shallow waters in Cape Cod Bay. All three were stranded on a mudlfat.

Third whale dies in North Carolina and the world sees its third large fireball in as many days

2024, March 5. USA, North Carolina, Corolla Beach. Dead Minke Whale.

2024. Note: According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), since January 2017, elevated minke whale mortalities have occurred along the Atlantic coast stretching from Maine to South Carolina. From 2017 to 2023, 12 minke whales were stranded in Virginia, and two were stranded in North Carolina.

2024, March 5. USA. Large Fireball, Iowa. Estimated to be 1m in size. Caused a sonic boom. Moving east. The North Sea and Thailand were the other locations.