Efforts are underway to determine the condition of three large sperm whales that are stranded off Prince Edward Island’s North Shore.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Marine Animal Response Society confirmed that the whales were spotted Saturday night on the ocean side of a small chain of islands close to Hardys Channel, near East Bideford in western P.E.I.
Tonya Wimmer, the society’s executive director, told CBC News that sperm whales typically stick to deeper waters in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
“Every now and then we’ll get a group or a single animal that comes closer to shore and accidentally ends up on the beach,” Wimmer said. “It’s not that they’re uncommon in those waters, it’s just more uncommon that they end up on beaches.”
Wimmer said the whales are all likely to be male, based on migration patterns in the area. Male sperm whales are generally up to 15 metres in length and weigh up to 30 tonnes.
In a statement, DFO said it’s continuing to monitor the situation. The department reminded people to keep a distance of at least 200 metres from the whales.
Wimmer said whales can be incredibly stressed when they’re stranded, and can jeopardize a person’s safety if they move unexpectedly.
The next steps for officials will be to determine whether a rescue is possible — or even necessary.
“Our team has been working very hard with Fisheries and Oceans, with the province to basically assess the situation, try to figure out even the basics — are the animals alive or dead? There’s been conflicting reports,” Wimmer said.
“With animals this big and this heavy, you can not just simply put a rope around their tail and pull them out. That actually can do serious, serious damage to the animal and it’s incredibly unsafe.”
