Marine experts call for help to find remains of washed up fin whale on Cornwall beach

The remains of a fin whale - the second largest animal on earth - washed up on Perranuthnoe Beach on Cornwall’s south coast on Thursday (January 12).

British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) were alerted by a member of the public to what was thought to be a live whale ashore on the beach.

Once on scene, volunteer Marine Mammal Medics from the team confirmed the female fin whale was deceased.

Dan Jarvis, director at BDMLR, said: "Usually we see smaller species like porpoises and dolphins stranded alive around our coasts.

"It's more unusual a large whale such as this one - the last large whale like this one to be stranded in Cornwall was in Feburary 2020.

"In recent years we've seen increasing numbers of large whales like fin whales and humpback whales in Cornwall, particularly in the winter.

"It's a good time for them to find prey and we've been documenting this for a number of years.

• Watch the fin whale on the beach (Credit: Matt Beger)

"With the best will in the world, it's probably better for the animal that it didn't spend prolonged time on the rocks.

"It was getting washed around quite a lot so it would've been extremely distressing for the animal and it was in quite poor nutritional conditions.

'It's quite a sad case unfortunately - sometimes these animals do strand in quite a bad way and there is nothing more you can do for them."

Overnight on Thursday the whale is believed to have been washed out to sea and now Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Marine Strandings Network, who record dead marine wildlife, are searching for the remains of the whale.

Any remains would help the team to undertake a post-mortem examination by the Cornwall Pathology Team.

Abby Crosby, marine conservation officer at Cornwall Wildlife Trust, said: "To see the body of this majestic mammal onshore is extremely upsetting and sad.

"But, if the animal is found again, it provides a fantastic opportunity for us to examine the individual and collect scientifically robust evidence that will help us conserve our marine megafauna for the future.

"If you come across the whale, or indeed any dead marine animal on our coastline, please ring our hotline straight away."

The wildlife charities are now asking anyone who might find the missing whale to report it immediately.

Members of the public are urged to report all dead animals found along Cornwall’s coastline to the Trust’s 24-hour strandings hotline on 0345 2012626.

All live stranded animals in need of rescue can be reported to BDMLR’s rescue hotline on 01825 765526.