UPDATED: Fin Whale Beached North of Indian River Inlet
Sunday morning a fin whale beached on the shore just north of the Indian River Inlet. Marine Education, Research & Rehabilitation Institute (MERR) officials are investigating but tell the Talk of Delmarva that it’s about 50′ 3” long and severely emaciated and they are doing what they can to minimize its suffering.
Additional information from MERR: The whale that stranded near IR Inlet is a sub adult fin whale. She/he is a sub adult at about 50′ in length. The whale is extremely emaciated which indicates a long term underlying condition. Fin whales are an off shore species and would not normally come near shore unless they are becoming so weak that they can no longer surface to breathe, and they head into shore. This whale is in the process of dying. Our hope was to be able to safely get close enough to it to sedate it to ease its suffering but unfortunately the water level and waves made it too treacherous for our responders to do that safely for the whale or for them.
And from DNREC: Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control staff are onsite monitoring a juvenile fin whale about 50 feet long that beached today at about 9 a.m. south of the Indian River Life-Saving Station in Delaware Seashore State Park. The DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation immediately cordoned off the area while Delaware Natural Resources Police cautioned the public to stay at least 150 feet away from the scene, whether walking the beach or by vessel offshore, as DNREC’s marine mammal response partner, the Marine Education, Research and Rehabilitation Institute (MERR), attends the stricken whale and in consult with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) determines appropriate action to be taken. DNREC’s Shoreline and Waterway Management Section has pieced together a makeshift privacy screen around the whale so that marine mammal responders and scientists can better evaluate the whale’s condition without distraction. Delaware Natural Resources Police remind the public that crossing the dune to try and get a better view of the beached whale is prohibited and can result in a fine.
Additional information as it becomes available.
