VENICE, Fla. — A No-Swim Advisory was lifted Wednesday morning, a measure previously in place after a sperm whale beached itself and died off the coast of Venice on Sunday.
City officials said Service Club Park is now open, and the advisory was lifted for beaches from Caspersen to the South Jetty. The area is safe to swim now that a full tidal cycle has occurred since the whale was removed Tuesday afternoon.
The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission released the following statement after the whale was confirmed dead.
FWC biologists, law enforcement officers, and its partners returned to the scene of the beached Sperm Whale in Venice on Monday, March 11, where the whale was confirmed deceased. The whale is confirmed a 44-foot-long male with a time of death at approximately 3am. Today, biologists will collect samples to attempt to determine cause of illness and death and to better understand sperm whale health, and life history. Results of the samples will likely take several weeks to confirm a cause of death.
We continue to ask that beachgoers leave space for biologists and law enforcement officials to assess this situation.
Officials estimated the whale is about 50 feet long and 70,000 pounds.
