A decomposing North Atlantic right whale was found this week on Nashawena island northwest of Martha’s Vineyard, fisheries experts confirmed.

The National Marine Fisheries Service and the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) have come under harsh attack from a number of different environmental organizations for not having done enough to protect fish stocks.

One of the rarest creatures on the earth, the endangered right whale, was seen near the Vineyard Tuesday. The sighting off the Gay Head Cliffs is for the record books, a first for the Vineyard in a long time.

The Northeast Right Whale is one of the world’s most endangered marine mammals, with only slightly more than 300 known to be in existence. One was observed from an airplane while it was feeding.