PO‘IPU — Federal officials said they think a decomposing humpback whale calf that washed ashore Monday night at Po‘ipu may have floated all the way from O‘ahu. A dead whale was reported floating around 14 miles off O‘ahu’s Ka‘ena Point
PO‘IPU — Federal officials said they think a decomposing humpback whale calf that washed ashore Monday night at Po‘ipu may have floated all the way from O‘ahu.
A dead whale was reported floating around 14 miles off O‘ahu’s Ka‘ena Point on Friday, and U.S. Coast Guard personnel said the carcass was drifting west-southwest, said David Schofield, marine mammal response coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
It’s possibly the same whale that ended up on the rocky shoreline fronting the Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Resort & Spa, he said.
Federal and Hyatt crews worked to remove the decaying, smelly carcass Tuesday morning while dozens of interested onlookers including residents and hotel guests watched the proceedings.
Diann Hartman, Hyatt public relations manager, said around 20 Hyatt employees from different departments pitched in to remove the whale carcass from a reef after security personnel saw it around 7 a.m. Tuesday.
They called federal, state and county officials to report the find, and were guided by Dr. Mimi Olry, Kaua‘i marine mammal response specialist with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, on proper disposal techniques, Hartman said.
Anyone who came into contact with the carcass was advised to wash with antibacterial soap for 15 minutes, and any equipment coming into contact with the carcass had to be destroyed to prevent the possible spread of any types of diseases or other harmful or hazardous agents, said Hartman.
She estimated around 1,000 pounds of whale carcass was buried in a shallow grave in the sand.
In cases of dead whales washed ashore — there have been four or five reported in Hawai‘i since the start of this year — it’s usually a collaboration of community and governmental personnel responsible for removing the carcass, Schofield said.
If the animal is alive, NOAA takes the lead, he said.
The “very decomposed” carcass at Po‘ipu is thought to be a humpback whale calf based on the time of year it washed ashore, though many pieces of the carcass had been removed, probably by sharks and other predators, he said.
It’s “plausible” that the whale reported floating off O‘ahu’s Ka‘ena Point is the same whale that washed ashore in Po‘ipu, as after awhile even predators aren’t interested in a decaying carcass devoid of blood, viscera and other palatable parts, he said.
“Some pieces like this have traveled long distances.”
Still, some basic samples were taken from the carcass, and the skeletal remains will be examined, more to definitively determine type of whale than cause of death, he said.
Determining the cause of death is probably not possible with the carcass in such a state of decay.
“There’s just so much missing that we probably won’t be able to determine the cause of death,” said Schofield.
Samples will be sent to a Mainland laboratory for potential species identification, “if it’s viable.”
• Paul C. Curtis, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or pcurtis@kauaipubco.com.
