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July 10, 2007

Tides help decide who will remove dead whale / Photo

Journal photo / Gretchen Ertl
Michael Martins, 6, of Narragansett, today checks out the remains of the 14-foot minke whale washed ashore in Narragansett Friday.

NARRAGANSETT -- The question of who is responsible for removing a dead whale that washed ashore on a private beach four days ago may have been answered today.

The town has been given approval by the Coastal Resources Management Council to bury the whale in the dunes at the nearby Roger W. Wheeler State Beach, according to Gail Mastrati, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Management.

Nearby residents said they first noticed the 14-foot minke whale on Friday afternoon but were unable to get a clear answer as to who was responsible for moving it. The carcass lies a little east of the Wheeler beach, behind Stanton Avenue.

Mastrati said the whale first washed ashore on private property, which meant it was the property owner's responsibility to remove it. The tides later moved the whale below the mean high tide line, shifting the responsibility to the state, she said.

-- Journal staff writer Randal Edgar

Posted by Kate Bramson  at 2:34 PM | Permalink

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