NOAA seeks properties for decomposing whales

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Wash. (KOMO/CNN) – In Washington State, stranded gray whales are washing up in what is described as alarming numbers and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has a gruesome proposition: it’s seeking waterfront property owners who are willing to let dead whales decompose on their land.

KOMO’s Steve McCarron spoke with a couple who is totally okay with such massive decomposition right near their home. “The smell isn’t that bad, but we do have our moments,” explained property owner Mario Rivera.

Mario and his wife, Stefanie, realize having a decomposing whale on the edge of their property isn’t for everybody. But they just could not pass up the learning opportunity. “I’m a veterinarian,” Stefanie said. “So, for me, it’s just interesting to see how fast it goes. What kind of animal critters it attracts.”

The whale carcass was towed to their property near port Hadlock two weeks ago. It’s one of more than 75 gray whales found stranded on the West Coast just this year. About 30 of them were in Washington State alone, the highest amount in 20 years.

NOAA Fisheries said it’s running out of places to take them, so it’s looking for more landowners to volunteers their waterfront properties.

“I think we both were just interested,” Stefanie said. “We’ve never had a whale there. How long does it take? What do we have to expect?”

NOAA Fisheries said many of the stranded gray whales they’ve seen were skinny and malnourished, meaning they likely didn’t get enough food during their last summer feeding season in the Arctic.

Mario and Stefanie said it’ll likely take several months for the carcass on their property to fully decompose. “The whole thing’s a learning process,” Mario said—a process they’d volunteer to host again. “Yeah, we’d do it again, yes, without hesitation.”

NOAA is still looking for properties in Puget Sound’s inland waters.

The first step: the dead whales are towed and put on the beach, where the necropsy, or autopsy for an animal, is conducted. The carcasses are then secured so they do not float off.

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