Beached Sunshine Coast whale goes into the hole
Last week Ballina Shire Council buried then quickly exhumed a dead whale that washed up on South Ballina Beach. This followed Port Macquarie-Hastings doing the exact same thing three weeks earlier - burying a beached whale, then digging it up following community concern.
The concern is that groundwater under the beach leaches into the ocean taking it with it the decomposing whale, and that this in turn attracts sharks.
Over the weekend Sunshine Coast Council brushed aside such considerations and buried a whale on Wurtulla Beach. The dead whale washed ashore late last week, it's carcass showing evidence of being attacked by sharks.
Video evidence shows the whale to be buried about fifty metres from the water.
The obligation for disposing of beached whales rests with local councils who often seek advice from the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and sometimes coastal services when towing back out to sea is considered. Recently Swellnet spoke to the NPWS who admitted that no protocol exists and that each situation is dealt with on a case by case basis.
If a whale is beached at an isolated site it's often left to decompose naturally. While on regularly frequented beaches - such as Ballina and Wurtulla - it's buried to remove the sight and smell.
Advancements in knowledge show that there isn't a clear demarcation between land and ocean, particularly along beaches where groundwater discharge flows under the sand. A high tide can push water inland, while a rainfall event will increase groundwater flow toward the ocean. It's a dynamic zone and anything introduced to it won't stay in the one spot for long.
Both the Port Macquarie and Ballina whales were dug up after concerns were raised by the respective local surfing communities.
Postscript: Windansea Boardriders have set up a petition to have the whale removed. Click and sign here.
Comments
When is common sense going to prevail!!!
unbelievable.
It is a new way of cooking, when the bubbling stops the Whale is cooked. It is slow cooking at its best. Don't mind the smell when you dig it up, it is a bit like the Durian in that way, but when you taste it you will trip and then most likely (bloody will without a doubt) die of food poisoning, but it is those once in a lifetime things.
Yep, should've blew the fucker up, without a doubt.
It looks like the whale has to much to drink and is asleep. Just sayin.
Seems like a lot of whales dying all over Australian coasts at the moment.. I read that it's the same off California and around the Pacific too and they were equating those deaths to radiation from fukashima. Any thoughts?
I can't find any database that might show the frequencies of beached whales (not 'strandings' which are easier to track but not as relevant).
One thing though, in August NPWS spotters saw a record 4,800 whales migrating north which easily eclipsed the previous best of 3,000 whales.
If there has been an increase in whales washing ashore I think the health of the stock would be the first checkpoint (more whales = more beachings).
The reason they are dying is because they come up the coast to breed. They have nothing to eat up here. So they are living off nothing for month hence a few drop off. Numbers of whales are increasing hence more cases
Nope no thoughts about whales, still remember the story about the children in the school, washed away, but I am a fatalistic fuck.
Give Peter a call to get this dug up - he's a surfer too
https://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/Council/Mayor-and-Councillors/Profi...
Thanks surfiebum. Have sent an email to him.
Why cant they put some oil soluble Dye markers into these carcasses on burial and at least make any leeching visible
And thats not much of a hole.
Here's a curious slice of info: Around Australia, all state conservation departments have a Stranding Contingency Plan - i.e what to do when live whales beach themelves - yet no contingency plan exists anywhere for dead whales.
Curious because the favoured response to dead whales is beach burial which is throwing up some curly questions about duty of care and to date no-one can answer those questions.
That hole is a joke. The whales head is just centimetres from the grass line. Sure is gonna be easy to locate the burial site along Wurtulla cause she's gonna stink big time!!!
Windansea have started a petition to get it moved:
https://www.change.org/p/sunshine-coast-regional-council-removal-of-dead...
Of the recent burials this one appears the safest simply by virtue of being higher up in the dunes, and therefore, I assume, above the water table. I'm not working with any proven scientific information, but I imagine keeping it away from groundwater, which ends up in the ocean, is key. There may be more microbes and scavengers in dry sand as opposed to wet?
Though as Don say that thing could whiff. I wouldn't let my dog go running around on those dunes.
The whale flesh might rot but the oil from its skin will find its way to the sea by gravity.
The way I see it, oils and other fluids will leach down through the sand until it finds the water table.
From here, depending upon local geohydrology, oils etc can be expected to go with the groundwater (freshwater) flow and surface up and into the ocean itself.
My understanding is that, depending on the degree of mounding/height of the aquifer, the saltwater/freshwater interface can be a distance out to sea under the ocean itself.
https://wetlandinfo.ehp.qld.gov.au/wetlands/ecology/aquatic-ecosystems-n...
Check out the diagram halfway down the above page.
I expect Stradbroke/Moreton/Fraser would have a saltwater/freshwater interface further out to sea because of their high dunes/high water table and lack of development/hard surfaces but I would imagine that the basic geohydrology would be the same for all sand environments.
As an anecdotal reference point I lived right on Oceanic drive for 3 years and surfed there everyday it was possible and never once saw a shark at Wurtulla. If they turn up in numbers now...?
A whale was buried just above the high tide line inside honeysuckle at Shoreham vic (most of if anyway, missing bits were left to wash away). This was start of this year. Depth of burial intersected groundwater table, which often discharges through the sand above the high tide line. Asked Parks guys not to bury it when they first attended, and they initially agreed and said they would remove it to the tip. Their primary concern was getting a truck onto the beach, which seemed relatively easy to me. They did say they hoped that nights high tide would wash it away, and when it didn’t, it got buried. Path of least resistance. Have no direct observations of any resulting shark activity. Anecdotally lots more bronzies than usual hanging around in following weeks (sighted by boaties not surfers). Touch wood.
Yep, we'll see soon enough. Shit loads of rain and swell all week. And yep, that hole is a joke.
The petition is now up to 1,500 names. If you haven't signed but would like to see link at bottom of article.
signed and shared - thanks Stu
I've just been speaking to public affairs at the NSW OHE (who incorporate the National Parks that give advice about beached whales). Though two whales have now been dug up in NSW due to public safety there's been no change to the advice they issue. To wit:
Well on the bright side it could be a good spot for a community garden. No shortage of blood and bone.
Last week I paddled in to the beach after seeing something that I couldnt easily identify as dolphin, turtle. bird or fish. I was within 200m of this spot, not easily rattled. I have never ever gone in like that before. Sure it was no Mick Fanning incident but odd in light of this.
In 2002 there were about 8000 humpbacks in the east coast population with a recruitment rate of about 800 per year or 10%. In 2016 the east coast population was estimated to be about 25,000 with about the same recruitment rate. The east coast population is one of few that are growing. Some think the east coast population might be a boom and bust population. We can expect more boat strikes, more entanglements, more stranding events and more carcasses to get rid of. We might like em but they're going to become more and more of a pain in the arse.
Seems like such a waste.
That blubber and meat i expect isn't fresh enough for human consumption but so many other uses for it.
Even the bones are useful or cool if left to breakdown i expect someone will be digging up those bones in a year or so.
Re; causes of death of whales, found a short vid on South West Rocks Dive Centre FAcebook page today. Pack of six Orcas hunting a humpback calf
They were going to bury the one down our way but apparently it got washed back out to sea, god knows where it is now.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-26/humpback-whale-washes-up-on-gippsl...
The Change.org petition is now tracking just south of 4,000 signatures. That's a 1,000 more than Port Mac.
And here's the aftermath of Sunny Coast Council's burial - pools of blood on the dunes.
Jeezus :o
Nah...that won't attract a thing...
FFS...
There's jam in them there hills!
(reference to Goodies mining episode where they strike jam, scones and cream & end up duking it out with tomato pistols)
Just re: the orcas.
I've had two confirmed sightings of Orcas off Lennox Point, calm sunny days with a 100% confirmed sighting.
Couple weeks ago there was a helluva kerfuffle about a k or k and a half off the Point. I thought it was orcas attacking a humpback pod but I couldn't be totally sure.
Then the Ballina whale washed up and now there's a video of orcas circling humpbacks just off Byron.
//www.northernstar.com.au/news/killer-whales-spotted-off-byron-bay-coast/3...
Any cause of death for that Ballina whale?
Or the Wurtulla whale?
That area was once known as Currimundi Rocks. Behind the sand dunes was a massive teatree swamp that went inland several k's and now it's houses and canals, so I would imagine the groundwater issue is probably more of a concern on that particular stretch of beach than many others. Real smart move dickheads.
Wonder if the lack of sightings and taggings around the north coast of late has any thing to do with the orcas being around..hasn't been as many lately on Dorsal.
This is the footage of the Orcas off South West rocks on the weekend.
http://www.portnews.com.au/story/4991867/orcas-chase-humpbacks-on-journe...
If there is 16,000 humpbacks off the coast then that is a lot of biomass. No wonder the Orcas are hanging around....just need to guide them in close to the coast to scare off the whites for a while.
Simba,
There probably haven't been many shark sightings lately due to onshore wind / swell conditions.
During the holidays there were plenty of sightings on the Sharksmart app. Its amazing how many whites DPI are catching on the drum lines...I'd be curious to see their stats, recapture rates and compare to previous population estimates.
rs
I think the Commonwealths white shark population estimate carried out by CSIRO is due to deliver findings in Dec.
And council have given a big FU to everyone's concerns ...
https://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/fate-of-wurtulla-beach-whale-...
Woooow, idiots. Bring on elections.
Surely if SLSQ get on board with it's removal it will happen. Especially with the new club being built right there. Wouldn't want to be the clubby forced to drag in half a human.
So far there's over 5,000 signatures on the petition, and even though the council has rejected the call to remove the whale the locals are pushing on:
"Hi Everyone thanks for showing your support in signing the petition ,I have just been speaking to the local State Minister Jarrod Bleijie, he has been a great supporter of the petition ,We have a letter from the Minister for the Environment Offices which says they gave the council some guidance on what to do but it was the councils decision to bury it .so hopefully we can get some action from the council to have the carcass removed ."
Stu for 4 corners...Dogged Iron Curtain reporting.
East Coast Whale burials all appear desperately similar by nature.
Digging whale size holes at cusp of inter tidal interface is inviting Saltwater intrusion.
We surfers protest the fresh water aquifers leaching whale oil into surfing environs.
We question why anyone would even dream of doing this.
Stop & think of Motel/groundwater operators sharing equal fear.
Their's being pumping up contaminated Whale oil to fill swimming pools.
Motel's worst nightmare... nursing an empty [CLOSED] chem blasted pool.
Now think a City wide groundwater pool lockdown.
Ocean surge (As right now) can reverse whale oil up flood drains to commercial eateries.
Flood borne contamination shut down Gold Coast surf beaches just last year.
OK ! So we're guessing they know this and do their dirty out of town.
Most outta'town sites are predominantly Spits or Islands.
However mostly all Islands/Spits rely on groundwater for survival and Tourism.
Saltwater people are said to engage in whale send off ceremony.
One has to ask if they too are kept on the outta?
How long will Saltwater estuarine healing lakes remain pure for sacred women's business?
Aaand they're dumping it.
https://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/concerns-force-council-exhume...
Baby washed up at Alex.
https://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/whale-carcass-washes-up-on-su...