Sea Shepherd Conservation Society wants the person(s) responsible for killing a pilot whale in New Jersey to be caught and punished. To that end, Sea Shepherd is offering a reward of USD $11,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible.

The 11 foot-long short-finned pilot whale suffered for a month before dying on a New Jersey beach in Allenhurst, a small Monmouth County town just north of Asbury Park, on September 24, 2011. The necropsy performed by authorities confirmed that the whale had been shot. Although the wound had partially healed, the .30 caliber bullet festered in the whale’s jaw preventing it from eating. The cause of death was starvation.

The 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) protects whales; therefore killing a whale is a federal crime. If convicted, violators of the MMPA can be fined up to $100,000 and sent to prison for a year.

According to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, there are approximately 31,000 pilot whales, both long and short-finned, in the western North Atlantic Ocean. There are an additional 300 or so off the west coast of the United States, about 8,800 around the Hawaiian Islands, and 2,400 in the northern Gulf of Mexico.

“Sea Shepherd has had success with our reward programs in the past,” Said Sea Shepherd Founder and President Captain Paul Watson. “I am hopeful we will see the person(s) responsible for this cruel and illegal killing be brought to justice.”

If you have any information on who may be responsible, please make a report to your local police department, or contact Sea Shepherd at: informus@seashepherd.org. Reports to Sea Shepherd will be kept confidential upon request. Sea Shepherd will not disclose the name of anyone who comes forward with evidence that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible without the express written permission of the informant.

In order to claim your reward if the suspected whale killer(s) is convicted, please ask the law enforcement agency involved in the case to write a letter to Sea Shepherd. The letter should state that your tip helped lead to the arrest and conviction of the New Jersey whale killer(s). The letter should be mailed or faxed to:

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
P.O. Box 2616
Friday Harbor, WA 98250 USA
fax: +1 360-370-5651