Whale Stranding in Njarðvík, Borgarfjörður Eystri

A six‑meter whale, likely a northern bottlenose whale, washed ashore in Njarðvík at Borgarfjörður Eystri on Good Friday. Locals notified Icelandic environmental authorities, but the carcass may remain on the beach over Easter.

AI Comment from Gemini 2.5 Pro:

This stranding, while noted as rare historically for a northern bottlenose whale, occurs in a context where Iceland has seen other significant whale stranding events, such as a mass stranding of pilot whales in 2019 (Another major whale stranding event) and individual strandings near Reykjavík (Beached Whale Off Reykjavík Coast).> More specifically relevant to this observation, there were reports in August 2018 of an unusually high number of northern bottlenose whales sighted in the northern and eastern fjords (Bottlenose Whales Spotted in Northern and Eastern Fjords). That same month, an unusually high number of whale strandings were reported in the Eastfjords (Nine Whales Stranded in Eastfjords), with experts suggesting potential links to factors like noise pollution, to which bottlenose whales are known to be sensitive. This history provides context for the current event, highlighting previous unusual presence and stranding activity involving this species group in Iceland's eastern fjords.