Not going anywhere: Corner Brook letting dead fin whale decay at beached location

It looks as though the fin whale that has washed ashore on the outskirts of Corner Brook isn’t going to be moved.

The large marine mammal — the second-largest creature on Earth, behind only the blue whale — seemingly grounded itself in the shallow waters of Wild Cove earlier in October.

Reports were that the whale was chasing squid or some other food source as it made its way from the open ocean deep into the inner Bay of Islands.

While video posted on social media showed the whale was still breathing after it was initially grounded in Wild Cove, it did eventually die. Strong winds from a weather system that swept through the area pushed the massive beast, estimated to be about 20 metres long, onto the shoreline.

It has since drawn the attention of many onlookers who have made the short trek through the woods from Route 430, the highway leading to the north shore of the Bay of Islands, to get a close-up view — and sniff — of the fin whale.

Questions have been raised about whether or not the animal would be removed.

It is located near the city’s landfill site, but is also relatively close to a large cemetery and a campground.

While salt water is its primary jurisdiction, the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans said the situation of this beached whale actually falls under the jurisdiction of either the local municipal or provincial levels of government.

That was also the case when a sperm whale washed ashore in Frenchman’s Cove, a community within the Town of Humber Arm South in further out the Bay of Islands, in the spring of 2018.

In that case, the town hired a boat to haul the big whale off the shoreline and tow it to John’s Beach, where it was hauled ashore and buried in a huge grave dug out by an excavator.

In the spring of 2014, two blue whales that had been killed by sea ice washed ashore in western Newfoundland. They, too, were moved by local crews and dissected, with one of them getting its skeleton processed by the Royal Ontario Museum for eventual display.

The answer to what will happen to the fin whale in Wild Cove came in the form of a statement issued by the City of Corner Brook late Friday afternoon, Oct. 9.

“After consulting various agencies such as our Provincial and Federal counterparts, it has been decided that the best option is to let the whale decompose naturally where it is,” said the statement.

“Alternative options were fully explored but were found to be impractical and carried a high risk of environmental damage to the local landscape.”

The city urged the general public to be cautious when approaching the carcass as it decays.

The city also reminded motorists to be mindful of the speed limit on the north shore highway and to avoid parking vehicles along municipal or provincial roadways in ways that impede traffic.

In addition, the city noted that federal regulations prohibit the operation of drones or any aircraft below 304.8 metres — 1,000 feet — within a 926-metre — or 0.5 nautical mile — radius of a marine mammal, including a whale, whether alive or dead, unless the operator holds an official research or response permit.

“Please join us in showing reverence and respect for the animal and the surrounding ecosystem during this time,” stated the city.

While it is not responsible for moving the animal, DFO did confirm for Postmedia that the whale was a fin whale and that the exact cause of its death is not known.

“The department may collect photographs, tissue samples and measurements to learn more about the whale and what may have caused its death,” a DFO spokesperson said in an email.

The federal agency discouraged the public from having physical contact with any whale carcasses due to the possibility of disease transmission or injury.