Fin whale washes up in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

Published: July 26, 2011

A necropsy is planned on a dead fin whale that washed up on a beach near Cheticamp, N.S.

 This fin whale washed ashore last weekend.Phonse Jessome/

Fisheries and Oceans Canada started getting calls on Sunday from campers who saw something floating near Petit Étang beach.

Arthur LeBlanc, detachment supervisor, said the young fin whale was dead before it washed ashore.

“It’s difficult to tell how long, but there was some bloating and there appeared to be gases coming out of the tongue area,” he said.

The Marine Animal Response Society plans to perform a necropsy by the end of the week.

Andrew Reid, the group’s co-ordinator, said the whale could have died from disease, malnourishment or human activities at sea.

He said it’s important to determine the cause of death because it will to help identify the threats facing these whales.

“Their numbers aren’t low enough to consider them endangered, but they’re still something that should be monitored to make sure the population isn’t decreasing,” he said.

A fin whale is the second largest whale in the world, behind the blue whale. A fully grown fin whale can reach 27 metres in length and weigh as much as 80 tonnes.

This whale was 15 metres long — a little longer than a school bus.

cbc.ca/news

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