Officials tow away dead, beached whale from Venice Beach, swim advisory in place
A group of friends trudged through the sand at the Service Club Park to avoid being turned away by law enforcement who blocked the main entrance of the beach. They came to watch the sperm whale on Monday, and they're hoping to see the deceased whale be removed from Venice beach.
“I know a shortcut,” one of the men said as a pair of binoculars swung from his neck while he carried two beach chairs.
The group joined more than a hundred people on Tuesday who gathered behind police caution tape to take a glimpse of the deceased whale being pulled 10 to 15 miles away from the shore.
Officials from the Mote Marine Laboratory and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association confirmed that the whale died at around 3 a.m. on Monday after it was spotted on Venice Beach on Sunday. Officials confirmed that the 44 feet-long, 70,000-pound whale died of natural causes. The age of the whale isn’t clear, but Kathryn Gentile, Mote Marine Communications Coordinator, said that based on the condition of his teeth, it would’ve been an older whale.
In case you missed it: Sperm whale beached off Venice confirmed dead, officials to perform necropsy
While the beach isn’t officially closed, a swim advisory has been placed, and officials are asking residents to stay out of the water in case any predators visit. As of yet, no sharks have been sighted, just a couple of sea birds, Gentile said. Venice officials are expected to visit the beach again on Wednesday to decide if the advisory should be lifted.
Just over 20 people between Mote Marine, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Seatow, Clearwater Marine Aquarium and Venice Police worked to pull the deceased whale away from the shore.
More: 50-foot sperm whale beached off of Venice near Service Club Park not expected to survive
Gretchen Lovewell, manager for the Mote Marine Laboratory's Stranding Investigations Program, said there’s a sense of relief in finalizing the removal of the carcass.
“We’re all exhausted,” Lovewell said. “It's been a long, hard few days, but we also have an amazing team out here.”At around 1:30 p.m., a bulldozer began digging a trench so that the beached whale could be towed away from the shore. FWC and Mote Marine officials attached two thick ropes to the whale’s body, and the ropes were attached to different towing boats.
One of the ropes snapped and needed to be replaced, but Gentile said that they had expected some difficulty towing out the whale due to the shallow sandbar.
Over the next hour, officials worked to remove the whale. A bulldozer attempted to push the whale toward the ocean and away from the shore nearly a dozen times – each push carrying the pungent smell of rotten fish that hit the gathered crowd. By 2:44 p.m. the whale was loosened from its position on the shore, and two boats tugged it away.
After replacing the sand on the beach, the Landmark Services bulldozer driver hopped onto the sand and was met with a small group of people.
“It was my first one,” the operator told them. “I was nervous.”
Lovewell said that the whale will be towed to an undisclosed location. She reminded residents that sperm whales are protected species, and it is illegal to tamper with the carcass. Her team has collected a host of samples that will test everything from pathology, toxicology, genetics and life history. It’ll be weeks to months before they can give final answers on the whale’s death.
Cristen Austin has been at the beach since early morning, and she was there all day on Monday. She heard about the beached whale on national news and decided to check it out.
She added that the crowd had been emotional at times with protective residents questioning the actions of the Mote Marine and NOAA teams, but Austin said that officials have been great about keeping people informed and answering any questions.
Austin, who is from Virginia, is a big animal person and owns a farm. She understands the loss that comes with animal stewardship.
“Unfortunately, it happens frequently,” Austin said. “You go through unfortunate events that are out of your hands that you can't control. It’s just one of those things you just have to embrace.”
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Dead, beached whale towed away from Venice Beach, swim advisory in place
