Minke whale carcass washes up on Irvine Beach

The carcass of a Minke whale has washed up on Irvine beach.

Walkers in the area spotted the dead animal at around 9am on Monday, with the public being urged to avoid the area until crews are able to remove the body.

North Ayrshire Council is now liaising with Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS), which is sending a team to the area, while the Ardrossan Coastguard Rescue Team is also involved in the operation.

A North Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of a Minke whale at Irvine beach and have been in contact with Coastwatch and the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme regarding the remains.

SMASS told Clyde 1 News it is planning to relocate the carcass, and will then do an examination on Tuesday or Wednesday, to establish the circumstances of how it came to be washed up on the beach.

“We are evaluating the best options for removal from the beach – the high tide is at 12:30 so it is unlikely that we will have anything in place before then. We will continue to monitor the situation to see if we can access the carcass when the tide allows.”

The beach is popular with dog-walkers in particular, and SMASS is urging anyone who spends a lot of time in the area to install its new app Beachtrack on their phones.

The app allows users to record their beach walks, report strandings directly, and log marine litter, helping SMASS track beach survey effort and better protect our coastlines.

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