Dead whale hauled away from shore

Workers take four hours Saturday to remove the 58-foot mammal from Bolsa Chica State Beach

“We blocked off the area and rerouted the bike path. We didn’t want lot of people to experience the method and experience of removing the whale.” — State Parks Superintendent Kevin Pearsall

The beach is now all clear of the big rotting whale.

The whale washed ashore at Bolsa Chica State Beach last week after it was towed out to sea in San Diego when it was found draped over the hull of an Australian Navy destroyer following joint training exercises. Over the weekend, it was cut apart and scooped up by heavy loaders and hauled off to the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.

Workers showed up at 8:45 a.m. on Saturday and spent four hours removing the 58-foot fin whale, one of two whales that were killed off San Diego on May 8. The other whale, a 25-foot calf, had been buried in San Diego. It is believed the two whales were mother and calf.

“They were a really good, professional crew,” State Parks Superintendent Kevin Pearsall said.

“It was a sad ending, but as far as removal and the process of that, I couldn’t ask for a cleaner and more prompt and efficient way. It went really well. We didn’t know what to expect because of the size of this thing and the media coverage.”

Pearsall said he was surprised only a light crowd showed up to watch the whale get hauled away. During the few days it was stuck on the sand in Huntington Beach, the carcass drew a steady stream of onlookers and people taking selfies with the gigantic creature, which is second largest mammal in the world behind the blue whale.

“We blocked off the area and rerouted the bike path. We didn’t want lot of people to experience the method and experience of removing the whale.”

One positive point was the educational opportunity the whale provided. Pearsall said there were a lot of questions from kids about the endangered species.

Pearsall said the U.S. Navy waived the dumping fee because they lease the land at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, a credit of about $10,000, but State Parks still had to cover about

$15,000 of the cost.

The Australian vessel that struck the whales was the HMAS Sydney, a 481-foot guided-missile destroyer. It had been testing its combat system in an exercise off the California coast.

When the whale washed up in Huntington Beach, it had been dead for nearly two weeks and caused a horrid stench on the sand. OC Health Care Agency closed that stretch of beach to ocean and land recreation, but the area is once again open to the public.

Surfers and beachgoers were worried the stench of dead whale and oils seeping into the water might attract sharks looking to feast, but an expert from the Shark Lab at Cal State Long Beach said chances are the whale was past its expiration date in terms of being mouthwatering.

Pearsall said the area still smelled of rotting whale for about 24 hours following its removal, but by Sunday afternoon it seemed to be all clear.

“We did monitoring checks to see if there’s any other lingering smell,” he said. “There was a lot of recreational activity where it was, it was almost like nothing happen.”