Dead whale found along Belfast Harbor

A 22-foot dead minke whale washed up on the shore of Belfast Harbor sometime in the past few days.

The female whale was first noticed by a guest of Belfast Harbor Inn on Saturday, according to a worker there. As of 2 p.m. on Tuesday, the whale was still on the north shore of the harbor, behind the inn.

Maine Marine Patrol took researchers from Allied Whale, which is part of College of the Atlantic, to take samples of the whale when it was floating in the harbor on Friday, according to state Department of Marine Resources spokesperson Jeff Nichols. Allied Whale staff determined that the whale was a female.

There was no evidence the whale had gotten tangled in fishing gear, but no other information was yet available about the time and cause of its death, Nichols said.

At least four other dead whales have been found in or off Maine so far this year, including humpbacks located near Cape Elizabeth, Harpswell and Wells. Another dead minke whale was also found in Harpswell in late August, according to News Center Maine .