Cristina Hodgson
A DEAD male fin whale calf was spotted on Monday night floating upside down near the mouth of the harbour.
The carcass has now been removed by the Malaga port mooring service who were able to tow the floating body yesterday, Wednesday February 16, to the eastern quay.
There, with the use of a crane provided for this purpose by the Port Authority, the 5.9 metre whale carcass was extracted from the water and deposited on the jetty.
The relevant protocol was activated and various researchers from the Aula del Mar and the Centre for the Recovery of Endangered Marine Species (CREMA) arrived at the wharf to take various samples and measurements of the cetacean.
A necropsy will be carried out to investigate the cause of death and the final evacuation of the body, to a place yet to be determined, will take place later this morning.
The incident comes following a dozen dolphin stranding during the month of January which raised red flags with environmental marine experts from CREMA.
It is believed that the recent succession of storms in January, in which waves of up to five metres have been recorded, may be behind the macabre marine mystery on the coastline.
READ MORE:
- Massive whale beaches itself in Estepona in the south of Spain
- THE month of January has turned out to be a dark month for dolphins with a dozen strandings in just four weeks.
