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Sperm whale carcass that washed up on Nantucket ‘far too big’ to be removed from beach
The carcass of the endangered whale washed up on a Nantucket beach earlier this week and weighs more than 100,000 pounds.
A dead sperm whale washed up on Nantucket’s north shore Sunday, and marine officials have decided that it will not be removed due to its weight.
Marine Mammal Alliance Nantucket (MMAN), a volunteer non-profit organization dedicated to rescuing and protecting marine mammals on the island, determined that the roughly 50-foot male weighs approximately 52 tons, or 104,000 pounds, the organization said in a Facebook post.
“The conclusion was that this whale was far too big, awkward and heavy to remove from the beach,” the MMAN said in the post. “No amount of equipment could pull it off.”
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The MMAN consulted with experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and determined that it would be impossible to perform a full necropsy on the beach, the post said. For now, the whale has been anchored to the shore to prevent it from washing back out to sea.
The NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement was on the scene Wednesday afternoon to remove the whale’s jaw, according to the Nantucket Current. This was done to prevent the endangered species’ teeth, which are illegal to possess, from being stolen.
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Sperm whales are an endangered and protected species, according to the NOAA. As such, the MMAN reminded the public to stay at least 300 feet away from the carcass to respect this status and protect people and pets from potential diseases.
“We encourage you to view this magnificent animal with respect and reverence, and within the law,” the MMAN said in the post. “Binoculars would be helpful.”
The organization plans to thoroughly examine the whale and take samples with assistance from off-island experts, according to the MMAN. The next steps for removing the carcass will be decided between them and the Town of Nantucket.
A dead sperm whale last washed ashore in Nantucket more than 20 years ago when one was found on Great Point in 2002, according to the Cape Cod Times. With no visible damage to the whale’s body, its skeleton was hung in the New Bedford Whaling Museum and remains on display today.
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