A dead whale that washed up on the beach at Wattamolla in the Royal National Park is yet to be removed.
The whale, which is at least 20 metres in length, remains on the shoreline after sharks were spotted feeding on it on the weekend.
Authorities have put up a sign on the beach urging swimmers to stay out of the water, and warn curious spectators not to touch with the male carcass or risk being fine for interfering with a protected marine animal.
Volunteer marine mammal rescue group ORRCA has been assisting NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service in the identification and eventual clean-up of the carcass that washed up on September 17.
Spokeswoman for ORRCA, Jools Farrell, says they are still unsure of what type of whale it is, but it appears to be a Sei whale.
“It’s a very large whale but the species is unknown at this stage,” she said. “We have taken samples and we are waiting to get the DNA report back, which we are hoping to get within the next day or two.
“We’re pretty sure it’s not a Humpback because it’s way too big. We normally only get Humpbacks or Minke whales up this way during their coastal migration. But if this is a Sei whale, that would be quite rare. It may be a Blue whale but that’s also extremely rare for one to swim this far up.”
She said National Parks would determine what to do with the whale once it has been identified.
“We’re not sure if it was struck by a boat, was old or unwell. They would most likely take it out to sea and let the sharks finish it off,” she said.
“It would be very difficult to bury it. Sharks are there to clean up the ocean. This is why we urge people not to go into the water. This whale came up close and personal with great whites, and with this carcass around, they can smell it. People can also become unwell if they get bits of blubber on them.
“Beside that, it’s been there decomposing for nearly a week and the smell is absolutely atrocious.”
