Dead whale mistaken for overturned yacht off Cornwall coast was a humpback
British Divers Marine Life Rescue confirmed the sad news, adding that it has been reported to the Marine Strandings Network
Last updated 15th Mar 2021
Experts have confirmed a dead whale spotted off the Cornish coast was a humpback.
The RNLI's Looe lifeboat was called to reports of an oveturned yacht on Friday afternoon.
When crews arrived, they made the tragic discovery that it was a whale.
The creature measured around eight metres in length.
Read More: Dead whale mistaken for overturned yacht after lifeboat call-out in Cornwall
British Divers Marine Life Rescue said there have been several sightings of humpbacks around our coast in recent months, including at the Isles of Scilly.
Spokesman Dan Jarvis added that although details about how the whale died are unknown, Cornwall Wildlife Trust's Marine Strandings Network has been notified.
"It was a humpback whale that was found dead off Looe. We have had a number of sightings of them around the coast over the las few months, and I know of one that has been present consistently at the Isles of Scilly since new year. Sightings appear to be increasing in recent years.
"Unfortunately I know nothing more on this dead whale beyond the RNLI Facebook post, but I have copied in the team at the Cornwall Wildlife Trust Marine Strandings Network who may know a bit more about it as its their field of expertise with recording dead marine wildlife.
"It would be especially important if this carcass strands on the shore that they are notified as soon as possible on their hotline on 0345 201 2626 so they can get volunteers out to do this, and potentially send photo-ID images to the international network tracking this species on their long annual migrations from the tropics to cold temperate seas".
Dan added that he was unsure about reports the whale had been snagged: "Entanglement is a significant issue with humpback whales and there are a lot of efforts going on into trying to mitigate this. I guess there is a chance its stuck on the Ranneys' reef though as I saw from the FB post it was near the cardinal buoy. It will likely stay there until it washes off elsewhere in that case, but if it is entangled in someone's gear then they'll have to cut it free to get there equipment back".
Dan Jarvis, British Divers Marine Life Rescue
You can check how to report strandings to Cornwall's Marine Strandings Network here.