Crews begin moving dead sperm whale from Venice beach shore

Reporter: Tiffany Rizzo Writer: Nicholas Karsen
Published: Updated:
Credit: Venice Police Department

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A dead 70,000-pound sperm whale that was pulled ashore on a beach in Venice is now being removed by several agencies.

Mystery still surrounds how the deceased mammal ended up near the shoreline as crews began to tow the carcass roughly 10 to 15 miles offshore to perform a necropsy.

A swimming advisory for sharks was issued for visitors as the sperm whales’ blood left behind during the recovery mission could draw the ocean’s apex predators near the shore.

Crews working the scene will have to wait until high tide at around 2 p.m. on Tuesday to continue moving the 44-foot-long carcass from the shoreline.

The Venice Police Department, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have worked the scene since the sighting of the beached whale on Sunday morning.

The whale passed away overnight into Monday morning, shifting efforts from a rescue mission into a recovery mission.

Crews brought out an excavator on Monday to help move the carcass closer so biologists could take samples, photographs and measurements.

An early investigation of the body led crews to believe that the animal was an underweight, sickly, young adult male.

The usual habitat for a sperm whale ranges from 2,000 to 3,000 feet of water.

Sperm whales are on the endangered animals list, with around 1,100 remaining in the gulf.

This opportunity to perform the necropsy on the mammal will provide valuable information to researchers.

According to experts, the results of the necropsy may take months to complete.

At a press conference held at noon on Tuesday, a spokeswoman with MOTE Marine confirmed that the whale was a young male and emaciated when it ended up beached.

The spokeswoman mentioned how this rare occurrence would allow for more opportunities to research sperm whales and hopefully prevent future cases from happening.

She then continued to mention that a beach advisory is active for visitors of the beach, as sharks can surface due to the amount of whale blood in the ocean water.

Parts of the whale will be buried in the sea while sea tow works to remove the carcass from the shore.

Crews will begin working to remove the carcass during high tide, which is expected to be between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

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