Processing of carcasses has begun for whales that appeared near the mouth of the Yodo River in Osaka Bay and subsequently died.
It was a large-scale project, with divers wrapping nets around the whale's body to prepare it, pulling it by boat, carrying it to the quay, and loading it onto a working boat with a crane.
Why is such a big deal necessary?
We asked Tsutomu Tamura of the Japanese Institute of Cetacean Research, who conducts research on whales.
38 tons of whales at the mouth of the Yodo River in Osaka will be sunk off the Kii Channel on the 19th
Q.
What happens if you leave the corpse behind?
A.
Whales are mammals, so their body temperature is high, and when they die, they begin to decompose immediately, melting their internal organs and muscles.
Gas is generated in the process, and it expands like a balloon.
I think the smell is pretty strong at this point, but when it explodes, it scatters over a wide area.
If it gets on your clothes, the smell will not go away no matter how many times you wash it.
Q.
How should I dispose of carcasses?
A.
In Japan, about 20 to 30 large whales are stranded each year.
There are three main processing methods.
▼ The first method is to bury it on land such as a sandy beach.
▼ The second method is to cut it into small pieces and incinerate it.
▼The third method is to submerge it in the sea.
However, this time it is 15 meters long and weighs nearly 40 tons, so it is difficult to take the method of putting it on land or burning it.
I think the only way to avoid the problem of smell is to submerge it in the sea like this time.
Q.
What is the point of the next processing?
A.
If the water depth is not deep, it may float up.
It is important to make sure that the weight is attached and the water is submerged.
It's a new job for those involved in the ship, and I don't think they've ever smelled it before, but I want them to proceed with safety first.
Whale Carcass Processing Until now
Beached whales have been a frequent problem in the past.
In 2002, whale carcass disposal became a major problem for the first time.
14 sperm whales washed up on the coast of Oura Town, Kagoshima Prefecture (at that time), and 13 of them died.
Due to difficulties in transporting the first one to the beach, the remaining 12 were discarded into the sea.
Based on this experience, the Fisheries Agency created the "Whale Stranding Response Manual."
On the other hand, tragic accidents also occur when trying to save a beached whale.
In 2007, when trying to get a whale out of a cove in Uwajima, Ehime Prefecture, the whale raged and capsized the boat, killing one person who fell into the sea.
Safety first is required just to deal with huge creatures.