Fisheries Department was not aware of the whale until a day later when the Department was alerted of the dead whale at Eratap village, South East of Efate.
Villagers told Fisheries officers that the whale was first noticed in the lagoon Friday last week, then Saturday but on Sunday morning the villagers saw it floating and towed the carcass ashore.
“Upon arrival at the scene, the whale was discovered with its head, tail, dorsal fins and both flippers already removed from the body leaving the trunk lying on the beach,” stated a media release from the Fisheries Department.
