38-foot, dead whale washes onto Agat reef (Guam, USA)

Carcass of 20-ton, 38-foot whale has washed onto an Agat reef. / Courtesy of NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service

August 3^rd, 2014. The Guam Environmental Protection Agency is advising residents to stay away from a dead whale that has washed onto an Agat reef.

The carcass is that of a 38-foot-long baleen whale, or a filter-feeding whale, weighing 20 tons.

Local fishermen reported the presence of the whale on Saturday, according to a Guam EPA press release.

Whales, including deceased whales, can pass diseases to humans, including Brucella…

Residents are further advised to avoid the whale because surf could be hazardous in the area.

Federal laws protect whales, alive or deceased, which means it’s illegal to remove or possess any part of a whale.

Guam EPA is working closely with the Guam Department of Agriculture and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service to deal with the situation, the release states.

Officials are currently working on a plan to remove the dead animal.

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