2009.09.29
Virginia has a dead whale to dispose of
I saw in my roundup of Virginia news this morning that the commonwealth is trying to figure out what to do with a dead whale that washed up near Gloucester Point and is stinking up the place.
Last year I marked the anniversary of a similar incident in Oregon on the RT blog with bit of video. Reminder, Oregon marine officials: Whales and dynamite don't mix.
(Video shamelessly posted again below the jump.)
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I still have to laugh when I watch the video. The best thing would be probably to shove it back into the water with a bulldozer and then try to tow it to deep water where it could sink to the bottom over time and feed the fish there. It happens all the time in nature anyway, so why do we bother making things more complex than it needs to be?
Comment by Other John — September 29, 2009 @ 11:33 am
According to one of the current stories I read, the dead whale is bloated and that make sit float. It wouldn't sink for a long time and could float right back to shore. Maybe they could tow it out and then dynamite it.
Comment by C. Trejbal — September 29, 2009 @ 11:38 am
Maybe they could. I'd highly recommend towing well offshore...the resultant chum loading of the water would make for nice feeding ground for sharks. But, I'm sure PeTA or some other group would protest. Another thought, would the whale have enough blubber to fuel a fire if they tried to torch the carcass (with some form of accelerant to start it)? I'm not really sure that would be a good idea either, but it's a thought.
Comment by Other John — September 29, 2009 @ 11:46 am
Turn it over to PITA. I think they have an office down that way. Drop the carcass at their offices...
Comment by Bob H — September 29, 2009 @ 11:56 am
Gloucester is a long way from the downtown Norfolk headquarters of PeTA. Best to probably haul it to the middle of the Chesapeake Bay and hope that it would feed the crab populations and other fish in the area. Nature's recycling at its best.
Comment by Other John — September 29, 2009 @ 12:08 pm
OJ,
They can float it down there baby. I am sure PETA (sorry for the misspelling in the first post, it was too close to lunch!) will know how to ethically deal with it.
Comment by Bob H — September 29, 2009 @ 12:29 pm
Did global warming drown it too??
Comment by Marked Man (mark) — September 29, 2009 @ 12:40 pm
Bob, they'd probably just toss it in a dumspter.
http://www.petakillsanimals.com/petaTrial.cfm
Comment by Other John — September 29, 2009 @ 1:00 pm
Currently, the state is taking the attitude that it is on private property, and therefore the property owner's responsibility.
I went there to see it, and the property owner is talking about cutting it up.
Comment by joe Mostowey — September 29, 2009 @ 4:19 pm