The Shire of Waroona in Western Australia has suggested to the state government that a rotting whale carcass be towed out to sea and blown up, as a means of disposal.
The decaying whale washed up a week ago on Preston Beach, 123 kilometres south of Perth, and has attracted sharks to the area.
Waroona Shire President Mike Walmsley told ABC Radio the plan was one of the alternative ideas suggested due to the high cost of disposing of a whale carcass.
“We’ve put that to them, their eyebrows raised at that,” he said.
“That would be good training for the navy or whoever. That would be an instant way of disposing of a whale.”
The suggestion came after the shire decided to leave the whale carcass on the beach because of the high cost of removing a dead whale in 2023.
“Our last removal was $20,000, so given the cost of things going up all the time, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was $25,000,” Mr Walmsley said.
The Shire of Waroona paid $20,000 to remove a dead whale from Preston Beach in 2023. (Supplied: Shire of Waroona)
Who is responsible?
Mr Walmsley said without state government support, the shire had no choice but to leave the disposal to nature.
“At this stage, we thought we would keep our money in our pocket and let it do its natural thing,” he said.
Can whale carcasses get towed out to sea?
Mr Walmsley said the state government should adopt a statewide policy of sharing the costs of whale disposal with local governments.
“For us to do what we need to do, it’s a bit beyond a joke and it’s costly,” he said.
The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions said in a statement that the disposal was the responsibility of the land manager, which in this case was the shire.
“The state government has a clearly defined position on the responsibilities for whale carcass management, whereby the land manager is responsible for the carcass,” a spokesperson said.
However, the City of Stirling successfully lobbied the state government to pay half the cost of a $175,000 bill to remove a whale carcass from Scarborough Beach in 2014.
The removal of a humpback whale carcass from Scarborough Beach in 2014 cost $175,000. (ABC Perth: Lorraine Horsley)
Sharks circle the remains
The shire’s handling of the dead whale has sparked safety concerns, with the carcass attracting sharks to the public beach.
In the past week, one great white and two tiger sharks, all measuring more than 3 metres, have been sighted in the area.
Preston Beach resident and former state MP for Collie-Preston, Mick Murray, said the shire “has put dollars in front of safety”.
Mr Murray said there was not enough signage warning would-be swimmers not to get in the water.
“They could be quite oblivious to what’s in the water,” he said.
“They could jump in the oil slick, then we’ll see some problems.”
Mr Murray said the state government should sit down with coastal shires to create an action plan for whale disposal.