A dead humpback whale was removed from the waters off Bailey Island in Harpswell on Wednesday, June 26.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says in a statement that on June 24, Marine Mammals of Maine was alerted to the whale near the shore of Bailey Island.

The decomposed mammal was spotted in Wills Gut on the east side of the Bailey Island Bridge.

NOAA Fisheries believed this is the same whale seen drifting on June 11 as reported by the Coast Guard.

On Wednesday, NOAA worked with town officials to tow the whale to a disposal site, where it will be buried. Due to the decomposition of the whale, a full necropsy is not likely, according to NOAA spokesperson Andrea Gomez.

Since 2016, NOAA Fisheries has been investigating an unusual mortality event for humpback whales in the North Atlantic.

NOAA asks the public to immediately report all stranded or entangled marine mammals to their marine mammal and sea turtle stranding hotline at (866) 755-6622.