Photo: Jonte Meyer
Esperance community members have been scratching their heads as to why a whale carcass could not be towed further out to sea until it washed up on the shore.
Esperance Shire chief executive Shane Burge said he became aware of the carcass around noon on Saturday, about seven hours before it washed up on West Beach.
The Weekender understands it could not legally be intercepted by private vessels while still out at sea.
Luckily, it washed up in a section of beach that was accessible to a boat belonging to sardine fisherman Dave Gray, who towed it out to a safe place.
Shire president Ron Chambers, who helped crew that boat, said it could easily have landed in on one of Esperance’s numerous reefs and granite headlands, attracting sharks for months over summer.
“If it landed 150 metres either side of where it ended up it would have been lying on the beach in that western side where there would have been no access to it, or 150 metres east it would have landed in amongst those rocks at Dempster Head.
“Because of the swell you would have had no access to it from land, so you would have had to let it decompose for 4-6 months, with all the ‘men in grey suits’ (sharks) swimming around.
A DPIRD spokesman said while the WA Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) was the lead agency responsible for whale carcass management, the issue required the collaboration of relevant government departments and land managers.
“DBCA and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) operate under an agreed protocol to manage the impacts of a floating whale carcass,” he said.
“The protocols have been established to allow for a proper assessment of options to reduce the risk of creating a greater problem to manage and resolve (for example multiple pieces of whale carcass strewn across a larger area) or a risk to those attempting the tow.
“There are many considerations in assessing a carcass for tow including size, location of the animal, degree of decomposition and safety of the operation (includes sea conditions) and available resources.”
DBCA gave a slightly different answer to our questions.
“The Biodiversity Conservation Act allows for any person to move a marine fauna carcass in the interest of public health and safety,” a DPCA spokesperson said.
“When a whale carcass washes ashore, the relevant land manager is responsible for its disposal.
“All disposal options need to be considered on a case-by-case basis, noting that towing a whale carcass out to sea is typically not viable because it can create additional public safety risks.”
She said land managers, like local governments, often approached DBCA and DPIRD for technical advice.
“These two agencies work under an agreed protocol to manage the impacts of floating whale carcasses,” she said.
The DPIRD spokesman said in light of the Esperance situation, where a tow was required to remove a carcass from a beach that was inaccessible to heavy equipment, DPIRD’s Shark Response Unit was planning on meeting with DBCA soon to discuss current whale carcass management in relation to shark hazard mitigation.
Mr Chambers said he hoped they could have a “conversation with the departments”.
“Professional fishermen have ropes and floats and even the tug boats have capacity to tow it,” he said.
“The trouble is getting the OK to do that and dealing with it. I don’t understand why it is up the ratepayers of Esperance to pay for the removal of a whale on the beach when it could have been intercepted and towed.”
