Long Island residents are demanding a plan to deal with future stranded whales after the death of a humpback in Moriches Bay Wednesday.
The whale had been stuck on a sandbar since Sunday. Residents tried to free the whale for two days, despite warnings they were breaking federal laws that prohibit touching whales.
By the time federal officials arrived on Wednesday, the whale was in such bad shape that it was euthanized.
Environmentalist Adrienne Esposito is demanding a whale response task force to prevent this from happening again.
A necropsy will be performed to see if the whale was sick or was injured.