VENICE, Fla. — The carcass of a sperm whale beached near Service Club Park in Venice two days ago was towed out into the Gulf Tuesday afternoon.
Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium crews, in coordination with Sea Tow and local law enforcement, began to transport the sperm whale 15 miles off the coast during high tide, Mote spokesperson Kathryn Gentile said during a news conference.
A no-swim advisory is in effect for the South Jetty, Venice Beach, Service Club Park, Sharky’s on the Pier and Caspersen beaches. Officials urge those in the area to keep their distance while they tow the whale back into the ocean because sharks could be in the water.
Gentile said the whale had no serious marks on its body that indicated serious trauma after it was observed in Mote’s lab.
The whale was found alive Sunday morning, stranded on a sandbar about 50 yards offshore near Service Club Park Beach.
Although Mote and numerous other wildlife agencies investigated during the past couple of days, they were unable to continue their efforts because of rough marine conditions near the whale.
After observing the whale since it beached itself, officials from agencies, including NOAA, determined the whale was 44 feet long and weighed 35 tons — yet, it was noticeably thin and underweight.
The whale’s cause of death, as determined by a necropsy, will be known in 8 to 12 weeks. There is no immediate evidence of how it died, officials said.