More whales found on beach
Three more sperm whales have washed ashore on a South Taranaki beach, bringing the total to 11 since eight dead whales were discovered there last week.
The bloated, black 12-14m long carcasses of the mammals are spread 5km along Kaupokonui Beach, north of Manaia.
DOC biodiversity supervisor Jared Coombes said the latest strandings, several hundred metres to the right of the river mouth, happened on Saturday.
It appeared the three mammals may have been dead before they washed ashore, but this would be confirmed when a biopsy was completed, Coombes said.
Two of the dead whales stranded earlier near the river mouth were visible from the sand dunes above the main beach, which was roped off.
These would be buried nearby during the week, but six carcasses washed ashore out of sight 5km along the coastline, south of the river mouth, would be left to decompose naturally, he said.
Department of Conservation staff and Ngati Tu iwi members are working together to co-ordinate burial sites.
Biopsies would give a better understanding of what caused the whales to die, and also confirm age and gender, Coombes said.
The unexplained strandings had attracted a steady stream of onlookers to the popular beach and camping area.
Security had increased around the beach entrances after one carcass was mutilated by thieves overnight using an axe to prise four teeth from the upper jaw.
Marine mammals in and around New Zealand waters are protected under the Marine Mammals Protection Act 1978 and it was illegal to remove any part of a dead marine mammal without a permit.
Whale strandings on the Taranaki coast are not uncommon, but less prolific compared to other coastlines, and locals are calling the latest multiple beachings ‘‘unprecedented’’.
In 2016 three whales, a fin, an orca and a 14m blue pygmy, were discovered washed up on beaches near Opunake, Patea and Rahotu on separate occasions, while a baleen whale was left to decompose naturally on Ohawe Beach, near Hawera, in 2012.
The South Taranaki Bight was a breeding ground for blue whales with marine researchers counting 68 of the species in the area in 2016.
The area was also the site of a proposed undersea iron sand mining project targeted to remove 50 million tonnes of material a year over 35 years.
The Environmental Protection Authority granted consent for the project to proceed which was appealed by environmental groups to the High Court.
The High Court had yet to make a judgment.