Four sperm whales that stranded separately on southeastern U.S. coastlines between 2020–22 were emaciated and malnourished, with ingested fishing gear and marine debris found in two of them, according to a new study that compared the four cases. The investigations, intended to better understand the causes behind whale deaths and to inform future marine mammal management decisions, were reported in a study published in the journal Diseases of Aquatic Organisms.