Dead minke whale turns up on island in Yellow Sea

A dead minke whale was found on Baengnyeong Island in the Yellow Sea. According to the Korea Coast Guard Station Incheon and a local environmental activist group called Green Incheon, the dead whale was discovered on Thursday at 12:49 p.m.

A dead minke whale on the shore at Baengnyeong Island on last Thursday [GREEN INCHEON]

A dead minke whale was found on Baengnyeong Island in the Yellow Sea.

According to the Korea Coast Guard Station Incheon and a local environmental activist group called Green Incheon, the dead whale was discovered on Thursday at 12:49 p.m. in the northern coastal part of the island.

The authorities believe high waves and strong oceanic wind carried the body.

The dead female whale is 7.4 meters long (24 feet) with a 5-meter circumference.

The Korea Coast Guard, tipped off by a local fisher, confirmed no signs of illegal whale hunting and turned over the dead whale to the Baengnyeong-myeon office.

The office disposed of the whale in a stockyard for marine debris and waste.

A dead minke whale was discovered on northern part of Baengnyeong Island at 12:49 p.m. Thursday. [NEWS1]

A beached whale carcass cannot be sold or traded, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

The office also collected a specimen from its body and sent it to the National Institute of Fisheries Science.

The specimen will measure the levels of toxic heavy metals in the dead whale. Researchers can also use the sample to analyze the impact of treated radioactive water released from the ruined Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

The environmentalist group called for an autopsy to identify the precise cause of the whale’s death.

“Minke whales brought up to the surface as bycatch can be sold at the marketplace, so illegal hunting disguised as bycatch is a frequent problem," the group added.

“Large-sized whales, often dubbed ‘carbon storage tanks,’ absorb 33 tons of carbon dioxide and assume a significant position in the marine ecosystem. Authorities should reflect the analysis results on cetacean protection policies.”

BY HYEON YE-SEUL [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]