Some of the endangered blue whales found dead off of Newfoundland’s coast earlier this month have washed ashore, coming in a little closer than the Department of Fisheries and Oceans had expected.
Two of the carcasses came ashore on the west end of the island -- one was found on a beach near a government wharf in Trout River, while another was found near a fish plant in Rocky Harbour.
The carcasses were among the nine blue whales discovered earlier this month in the Bonne Bay area of the province. The DFO had expected weather patterns and water currents would float the carcasses out to sea.
It’s believed the whales drowned or were crushed by heavy ice while feeding.
A Corner Brook resident photographed the carcasses, showing just how massive the whales are.
While ice entrapments occur every season, denser ice packs this year caused problems for the blue whales, said Wayne Ledwell of the Whale Release and Strandings Group.
In a similar incident in mid-March, more than 40 white-beaked dolphins perished in the ice off the southwest coast near Cape Ray.
Below are more photos of the whales, taken in Rocky Harbour and Trout River.
