KILAUEA — A chunk of shark-gnawed whale carcass drifted onto a North Shore beach yesterday between ‘Anini and Kalihiwai, requiring heavy equipment to remove it. “The lifeguards confirmed there was a whale being chewed,” said Mark Schofield, marine mammal response
KILAUEA — A chunk of shark-gnawed whale carcass drifted onto a North Shore beach yesterday between ‘Anini and Kalihiwai, requiring heavy equipment to remove it.
“The lifeguards confirmed there was a whale being chewed,” said Mark Schofield, marine mammal response coordinator with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, about the Monday evening spotting. “The predation was pretty advanced.”
The remains finally washed ashore yesterday at ‘Anini near the surf spot known as “Wires.”
Schofield said there was only a 5- or 6-foot diameter chunk left, indicating the carcass had been adrift for awhile, being actively eaten.
“Normally, if it was a fresher animal or a more recent kill, we would do a biological investigation to seek answers to ocean and animal health questions that help with the management need,” Schofield said. “In this instance it was determined there was too much predation to do that.”
Coast Guard base Kaua‘i dispatched its 31-foot motor vessel, Monday afternoon, at the behest of NOAA to gather a tissue sample.
Coast Guard spokesman Michael De Nyse said it’s common for the agency to act on the behalf of NOAA through an agreement under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, especially in the case of entanglements, whale boat collisions and other similar situations.
A Coast Guard member used his hand sheathed in a surgical glove and armed with a knife to gather the sample.
“It was about the size of a baseball,” De Nyse said.
The packed and chilled sample is currently on its way to the NOAA. Results will determine the species of the animal and may give some details as to what occurred.
This natural display of the food chain was being handled mainly as a public safety issue in the human realm.
“When you have a carcass coasting to land, not only do you need aids to navigation, it is a public safety concern,” De Nyse said. “Not to mention the fact that you have sharks attacking it, posing a possible threat to surfers.”
Schofield said that the carcass was not towed out to sea because the remains were too close to the break, posing danger to crews.
Early yesterday, the remains finally made it to the beach, where the county of Kaua‘i was left with the task of determining how to get rid of it.
“It has been a while since something like this has happened,” said National Marine Whale Sanctuary spokeswoman Jean Souza. “The (remains) made that jurisdictional transition (from state to county) that requires a whole new set of players to respond.” And by early afternoon, that set of players was on the beach with a backhoe.
County crews used the heavy equipment to bury the carcass just off the beach — on state land.
• Adam Harju, editor, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 227) or aharju@kauaipubco.com
