What happens when a whale washes up on a beach?

If a whale is found dead, it should be reported to the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP).

CSIP investigates all stranded whales, dolphins, porpoises, marine turtles and basking sharks around the UK, and in some cases carries out post-mortems.

Whales are considered royal fish, and the Receiver of Wreck (RoW) is responsible for administering the Royal Prerogative for Fishes Royal, which also includes dolphins and porpoises.

It identifies and notifies the landowner of where the stranding has taken place and whose responsibility it is to remove and dispose of any dead cetaceans.

For smaller cetaceans such as dolphins and porpoises, councils usually handle the recovery and disposal through a licensed environmental service waste carrier.

Whales often require more specialised equipment and take more time to dispose, due to their size.

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