Dozens more long-finned pilot whale carcasses towed out to sea after Australia’s largest whale stranding

Efforts are continuing to remove whale carcasses from the mass stranding site at Macquarie Harbour, but recovery crews have warned carcasses may reappear in the harbour.

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FAVOURABLE tides on the West Coast over the weekend allowed recovery crews to remove 55 long-finned pilot whale carcasses from Macquarie Harbour.

Authorities are continuing work to remove dead whales – mostly mothers and calves – from the area following last month’s mass standing.

Of the 470 whales that became beached on or around September 21, 111 were saved.

The Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment said the 55 carcasses had been towed out to sea on Saturday and released in open water where they were expected to sink and decompose in the ocean.

Four additional whale carcasses resurfaced and were also retrieved, secured and made ready for disposal.

DPIPWE said more carcasses may reappear in the harbour over the next few weeks.

Incident controller and PWS officer Alex Bradley said retrieval and removal of the remaining whale carcasses had been the primary focus of the work crews over the past few days.

“As of today, a total of 367 deceased whales have been disposed of offshore,” he said.

Mr Bradley said about 30 whales remained on land between Braddon Point and Ocean Beach, outside of Macquarie Harbour.

“Due to this being a highly visited area and its proximity to the Macquarie Heads Campground, these carcasses will be buried to avoid any social and safety issues with visitors and residents of that immediate area,” Mr Bradley said.

Machinery will be brought in to bury the animals on the shore.

The remaining animals scattered along lower visitation areas of the coastline will be allowed to decompose naturally.

Nearly 500 whales became stranded in Macquarie Harbour.

Coastal patrols will be carried out to monitor and inspect any additional carcasses that may wash up with the tides over coming days.

Ocean Beach will remain closed to vehicles and dogs until Friday.

Marine and Safety Tasmania is continuing to issue a Notice to Mariners following the disposal of any whales at sea.

The boat ramp at Macquarie Heads has been closed during the whale retrieval operation.

Recreational boat users are asked to use the Strahan boat ramp.

Scientists from the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery zoology team have determined most of the whales were mothers and their young,

Material was collected to assess the whales’ internal injuries, which may provide insights into the cause of the stranding.

The full length of Ocean Beach, from Macquarie Heads to Trial Harbour, is closed to vehicles and dogs until Friday as the clean-up effort continues.