Plans underway to recover whale which died after stranding in Dee Estuary

Natural Resources Wales have said they are putting plans in place to recover the fin whale that tragically stranded and died on sand banks in the Dee Estuary.

After several attempts to re-float, sadly the whale’s carcass was found this morning.

NRW says it is their responsibility to recover the whale, as it owns the part of the estuary where the whale was found.

Update: River Dee rescuers say whale has restranded and there are no ‘signs of life left’

The whale will be recovered as soon as possible, taking into account the dangerous tidal conditions in the estuary.

Ceri Morris, Marine Mammal Specialist Advisor for Natural Resources Wales said:

“Unfortunately, we can now confirm that the fin whale that stranded on tidal mudflats on the River Dee has died.

We have monitored the situation carefully over the weekend and had hoped that the young whale would survive its ordeal.

We will now recover the body to assist colleagues from the UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme in carrying out a post-mortem examination.

The estuary can be a dangerous place with rapidly changing tidal levels and soft mud hazards; we all have a responsibility to look after emergency responders by not putting them under extra pressure.

We therefore ask that people do not travel to, or onto the estuary to try to see the whale as it could hamper our efforts and those of our colleagues in dealing with the situation.

We would like to thank the volunteers from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue and local fishermen who made huge efforts to rescue the whale against the odds. We are very grateful for their hard work.

We remind the public that all whales, dolphins and porpoises are European Protected Species. Any attempt to interfere with the carcass of the whale or remove body parts without the appropriate licence would be a criminal offence.”

Photos: Gem Simmons