About 200 pilot whales to be given at-sea burials in very deep water as no surviving animals remain on Ocean Beach
The number of crews working on the rescue and removal of the stranded pilot whales will be scaled back over the next few days. Photograph: Glenn Nicholls/AFP/Getty Images
Crews are expected to start hauling the carcasses of about 200 dead whales out to sea after a mass stranding on Tasmania’s west coast.
The pod of about 230 pilot whales became stranded on Ocean Beach, west of Strahan, on Wednesday, with a smaller number stranded in nearby Macquarie Harbour. It was almost two years to the day and in the same location as Australia’s biggest ever whale stranding event, when 470 pilot whales were stranded and 380 died in the same location in September 2020.
Deep water and rapidly moving tides make Tasmania’s west coast a hotspot for whale stranding.
Rescuers were still monitoring a small number of surviving whales inside Macquarie Harbour on Saturday, and attempted to free two that were stranded in shallower waters.
However, depending on weather conditions, volunteers were set to start removing whale carcasses from Ocean Beach for at-sea burials on Sunday morning.
They ultimately hoped to clear the beach and wrap up their mission.
“We are looking at rationalising crews and resources as we believe we can start to scale back the operation given the positive results that have been achieved over the last two to three days,” incident controller Brendon Clark said.
There were no remaining surviving animals on Ocean Beach as of Saturday, he said.
“Through extensive aerial and vessel surveillance of Macquarie Harbour we have identified a small number of whales within the harbour precinct,” he said.
Crews intend to tow the whale carcasses out to sea via longlines and release them in very deep water.
Clark thanked volunteers and salmon companies based in Strahan who have helped with the removal. The number of crews in the area will be scaled back over the next few days, he said.
“It’s been a challenging incident, and one that certainly had an impact on not only the personnel involved but also the local community,” he said.
“We’ve been very conscious of trying to minimise that impact and we believe that we’ve done so effectively.”
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