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Whale workers unfazed by overpowering stench
Nit Lemley, a volunteer from Mendocino, pulls a large section of blubber from the carcass of a 70 ft. blue whale killed in an open ocean collision with a research ship last week. The whale washed up just south of Ft. Bragg researchers from Humboldt State will haul away the pieces and bury the skeleton for a time before digging it back up and reassembling the bones.
John Burgess/The Press DemocratPublished: Tuesday, October 27, 2009 at 2:04 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, October 27, 2009 at 2:04 p.m.
A bone-chilling wind Tuesday carried the putrid odor of decomposition up a gulch near Fort Bragg where scientists, students and volunteers continued the daunting task of slicing up a massive blue whale and preparing it for burial.
“It smells,” said Connie Scherer, a master of understatement who has a vacation home nearby.
The overpowering odor grew exponentially in the early afternoon when workers cut into the gargantuan belly, spilling a mountain of white intestines onto the rocky shore. It grew again when they cut into the intestine to examine its contents.
“I'll never eat bockwurst again,” said one observer.
Meanwhile, thick long slabs of foamy blubber were sliced and pulled off the 72-foot whale, then winched up the cliff above the inlet where the carcass of the female blue whale — the world's largest mammal — came to rest.
The whale was mortally wounded when she tried to surface under a research vessel off the coast of Fort Bragg a week ago Monday.
It's was still unclear Tuesday afternoon how the tons of blubber would be disposed of, said Sheila Semans, a Coastal Conservancy official. She's an organizer of the mammoth effort to salvage the whale skeleton so it someday can be displayed in Fort Bragg, where it could provide educational opportunities and serve as a tourist attraction.
Semans said a person had offered to take and compost the fat, but that's not an allowed use for parts of a federally protected species. Like everything else about the salvage project, solutions to problems are continually in flux.
When the blubber — roughly 7 inches thick, is removed from the whale, the task of cutting the animal into manageable sections will begins she said.
Those will be taken to an unidentified location in a private forest and buried in deep holes filled with a mulch that includes sand and manure to enhance decomposition. It will take up to five years for microbes and bugs to clean the bones.
By then, it's hoped Fort Bragg has a marine research center and museum in which to reassemble and display the once-majestic creature. A marine research center is one of the proposals suggested for the defunct Georgia-Pacific mill site.
The recovery effort has become a lesson in volunteerism as dozens of people, from construction companies to store owners, have donated time and materials.
Marine biology students from College of the Redwoods in Fort Bragg on Tuesday joined forces with students from Humboldt State University in Arcata — which holds the federal permit for the whale's removal — who are doing the bulk of the dissection under the guidance of an instructor.
“We feel this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Cora Lee Whitsett.
And saving the skeleton is a way to honor the whale's death and share its beauty, she said.
In death, the whale has drawn worldwide attention. Its demise is seen both as a tragedy and an opportunity for research.
The tissue, fluids and organs will be thoroughly examined by scientists from California to South Africa. Even its few hair follicles
“There's a list of scientists sending requests” to federal authorities, said Dawn Goley, Humboldt State University associate professor of marine mammals.
Humboldt State holds the federal permit both to recover and dispense whale parts to legitimate researchers. Goley said the university also will oversee the reassembly of the great whale's skeleton when it's ready.
“We have the expertise to put it back together again," she said. Until Sunday night, Goley was prepared to let the carcass of the 80-ton behemoth remain in the ocean inlet a few miles south of Fort Bragg. A recovery would be next to impossible, she thought.
But Fort Bragg area residents had other ideas and refused to give up. “I'm very impressed with the Fort Bragg community,” Goley said.
The project still has many challenges before it can be called a success. One is getting reinforcements to finish cutting as much meat from the bones as possible. Many of the students who have been a key part of the workforce must get back to their classes.
Some involved are concerned that all the hard work could wash away when with the high tides on Friday if the job isn't completed by then.
But determined project coordinators, already accustomed to overcoming seemingly impossible odds, have no intention of letting that happen.
“It's not washing away after all this,” said Abbie Colbert.
A bone-chilling wind Tuesday carried the putrid odor of decomposition up a gulch near Fort Bragg where scientists, students and volunteers continued the daunting task of slicing up a massive blue whale and preparing it for burial.
“It smells,” said Connie Scherer, a master of understatement who has a vacation home nearby.
The overpowering odor grew exponentially in the early afternoon when workers cut into the gargantuan belly, spilling a mountain of white intestines onto the rocky shore. It grew again when they cut into the intestine to examine its contents.
“I'll never eat bockwurst again,” said one observer.
Meanwhile, thick long slabs of foamy blubber were sliced and pulled off the 72-foot whale, then winched up the cliff above the inlet where the carcass of the female blue whale — the world's largest mammal — came to rest.
The whale was mortally wounded when she tried to surface under a research vessel off the coast of Fort Bragg a week ago Monday.
It's was still unclear Tuesday afternoon how the tons of blubber would be disposed of, said Sheila Semans, a Coastal Conservancy official. She's an organizer of the mammoth effort to salvage the whale skeleton so it someday can be displayed in Fort Bragg, where it could provide educational opportunities and serve as a tourist attraction.
Semans said a person had offered to take and compost the fat, but that's not an allowed use for parts of a federally protected species. Like everything else about the salvage project, solutions to problems are continually in flux.
When the blubber — roughly 7 inches thick, is removed from the whale, the task of cutting the animal into manageable sections will begins she said.
Those will be taken to an unidentified location in a private forest and buried in deep holes filled with a mulch that includes sand and manure to enhance decomposition. It will take up to five years for microbes and bugs to clean the bones.
By then, it's hoped Fort Bragg has a marine research center and museum in which to reassemble and display the once-majestic creature. A marine research center is one of the proposals suggested for the defunct Georgia-Pacific mill site.
The recovery effort has become a lesson in volunteerism as dozens of people, from construction companies to store owners, have donated time and materials.
Marine biology students from College of the Redwoods in Fort Bragg on Tuesday joined forces with students from Humboldt State University in Arcata — which holds the federal permit for the whale's removal — who are doing the bulk of the dissection under the guidance of an instructor.
“We feel this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Cora Lee Whitsett.
And saving the skeleton is a way to honor the whale's death and share its beauty, she said.
In death, the whale has drawn worldwide attention. Its demise is seen both as a tragedy and an opportunity for research.
The tissue, fluids and organs will be thoroughly examined by scientists from California to South Africa. Even its few hair follicles
“There's a list of scientists sending requests” to federal authorities, said Dawn Goley, Humboldt State University associate professor of marine mammals.
Humboldt State holds the federal permit both to recover and dispense whale parts to legitimate researchers. Goley said the university also will oversee the reassembly of the great whale's skeleton when it's ready.
“We have the expertise to put it back together again," she said. Until Sunday night, Goley was prepared to let the carcass of the 80-ton behemoth remain in the ocean inlet a few miles south of Fort Bragg. A recovery would be next to impossible, she thought.
But Fort Bragg area residents had other ideas and refused to give up. “I'm very impressed with the Fort Bragg community,” Goley said.
The project still has many challenges before it can be called a success. One is getting reinforcements to finish cutting as much meat from the bones as possible. Many of the students who have been a key part of the workforce must get back to their classes.
Some involved are concerned that all the hard work could wash away when with the high tides on Friday if the job isn't completed by then.
But determined project coordinators, already accustomed to overcoming seemingly impossible odds, have no intention of letting that happen.
“It's not washing away after all this,” said Abbie Colbert.
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