Bid to dig up dead whale

A PETITION calling for a buried whale carcass at Collendina beach to be exhumed gathered more than 400 signatures in five hours yesterday.

The petition was started by Ocean Grove resident Lauren Hall after a dead whale washed ashore on Thursday and was buried by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning on Friday.

“The burial of the whale carcass on the beach at Collendina is causing concern for locals, holidaymakers and water users about the increased risk of shark activity over the coming summer months,” the petition to the City of Greater Geelong and DELWP said.

“Many feel that there are far more effective and safer means of disposing of the remains.

“Precedent cases along the NSW and WA coastlines sug- gest that the scent and oils will result in sharks seeking food.”

DELWP Barwon South West said in a Facebook post the “burial of the whale is an environmentally friendly option that allows the whale to naturally decompose”.

“DELWP is currently working with the City of Greater Geelong, Victorian Fisheries Authority and Traditional Owner groups to reduce risks to public safety and ensure the operation has a limited impact on the environment.”

Regular surfer Peter Mobbs commented on the petition and said he was “concerned about the increase in shark activity”.

“The carcass will seep oil into the ocean for months, attracting the big whites to move in close along a popular beach just in time for summer,” Mr Mobbs said.

“Be great if it could be dug up and buried inland or towed out to sea and blown up.”

Local resident Daniel Calder said there were too many examples of “sand burials gone wrong”. “Our dunes are often reached by high tides and storm surges. Buried too close to the water’s edge and buried below sea level,” Mr Calder said. “Surely the decomposing whale will find its way into the water and attract an unusual number of sharks to the area.”

Three carcasses buried at Port Macquarie, Ballina and Wurtulla Beach were exhumed in October 2017 due to fears they would attract sharks.

Research by James Tucker, Isaac Santosa, Susan Crocetti and Paul Butcherac published in Ocean and Coastal Management in September states that “the extent to which carcass burial alters beach groundwater and attracts sharks to the surf due to leachate transported via submarine groundwater discharge is unknown”.