VENICE, Fla. — A sperm whale that beached itself off the coast of Venice on Sunday died Monday morning.
Officials confirmed they are now bringing equipment to pull the whale to shore and that the necropsy will take place at 12 p.m.
The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission released the following statement after the confirmation.
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.
The Venice Police Department and Sarasota County Sheriff's Office units were assisting Mote Marine Laboratory staff with the beached whale about 50 yards out from Service Club Park, off the coast of Venice.
“It’s unfortunate. We heard about it earlier today, and we were like, we better get out there and see it now,” said Steven Salazar, a resident of Venice.
Salazar wasn’t the only spectator on the beach. Hundreds of people looked on in disbelief, observing an animal most people would go their entire lives without seeing in person.
“That’s why there’s interest in it. That’s why the people are here,” said David Crabb.
The whale was identified as a sperm whale. It was located on a sandbar and was estimated to be about 70 feet long.
“We were first notified about 8:20, 8:30 this morning,” said Gretchen Lovewell with Mote Marine Laboratory, who's part of the team that’s tasked with rescuing this gentle giant. However, she said they weren’t able to reach the whale due to dangerous water conditions.
“We tried with vessels. We were out with the Sarasota Sheriff’s Office with their marine patrol units. We tried coming from the oceanside. We can’t get there from the beach side. So, I mean, it’s frustrating. You know, we can’t control Mother Nature,” explained Lovewell.
She said these whales are usually found far out at sea in deep waters.
“We get about two sperm whale strandings in the entire Gulf of Mexico every year. I’ve been at Mote for 15 years, and we haven’t had one. So, it is a very unusual thing. I can understand why people are curious about it,” said Lovewell.
They estimate the whale is about 50 feet long and 70,000 pounds.
Police closed the entrance to Service Club Park while Mote Marine and FWC worked to assess the whale’s situation.
