JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will send a team to Admiralty Island to perform a necropsy on a humpback whale that washed up on shore.

The Juneau Empire reports scientists take tissue samples to determine the cause of death.

NOAA officials say it's not clear how the whale died or if it was struck by a vessel.

NOAA spokeswoman Julie Speegle says the carcass most recently was spotted on the beach at Point Young, which juts out from Admiralty Island into Stephens Passage behind Douglas Island.

NOAA officials say the carcass likely had previously been beached in other places.

Information from: Juneau (Alaska) Empire, http://www.juneauempire.com

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