Dead humpback whale goes out to sea after washing ashore in Cow Bay, N.S.

A dead whale was stuck on the beach at Cow Bay, N.S.

A dead humpback whale has gone out to sea after washing ashore in Cow Bay, N.S., sometime earlier this week.

Residents were worried the decaying carcass could attract predators – like sharks – and wanted it removed as soon as possible.

“This is at a known surf break where we actually have waves coming next week and it’s just a big draw for any sharks or any kind of activity in the water,” Jonathan Senman told CTV Atlantic. “It’s very much a shark attraction and water activity attraction and there’s actually shark bites all over it.”

Local fishermen expressed interest in helping to remove the animal, but were worried about liability and potential costs associated with it.

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) would typically take care of these types of situations; however, they are tied up with the wildfires in the province. Public Works is stepping in and has sent a team to the site.

Tonya Wimmer, executive director of Marine Animal Response Society, says the province has jurisdiction over the area.

“The problem at the moment is that right now we are on Crown land,” said Wimmer.

“When there is a carcass, if it’s small we try to pick it up, but if it’s large we will work with authorities to study it but it has to be in good condition and unfortunately this isn’t.”

Late afternoon Friday, CTV Atlantic received a tip saying a person used their Jet Ski to tow the whale out to sea.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Bruce Frisko, Jim Kvammen and Emma Convey.

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