54 years later, Florence’s exploding whale is still a lesson in what not to do

PORTLAND, Ore (KATU) — An explosion that has been talked about for years.

It’s been 54 years since dynamite was used to dispose of a dead whale washed up on the coast of Florence.

Crowds, including KATU reporter Paul Linnman and photojournalist Doug Brazil, gathered on the beach to watch.

Linnman reported that Oregon’s highway department ruled that the carcass could not be burned, buried or butchered.

“It was such a big bomb, about 20 cases or half a ton,” Linnman said.

The hope was that the 8-ton carcass would be cut into small pieces for scavengers to eat.

This was not the case.

When the explosion occurred, a large amount of oil and a dense fog were sprayed into the air.

No one was injured, but a piece of oil after the explosion destroyed the car.

“If a whale washes ashore in Lane County again, those responsible will certainly remember not only what they should have done, but also what they should not have done,” Linnman said.

KATU News spoke with Oregon State Parks, which is currently responsible for the stranded whales.

“When we receive a report of a whale carcass, we call the West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network, and the public can also call this hotline to report a dead, injured or stranded marine mammal,” said Stefanie Knowlton, Oregon State Parks PIO.

Knowlton says sometimes they have to put up barriers to keep people from getting too close.

NOAA will then perform a necropsy and an animal autopsy, and the mammal will decompose where it is found.

“Seabirds, eagles and other birds of prey all rely on marine mammal carcasses and use them to survive, so we like to let the whale go when possible and let nature take its course,” Knowlton says.

They used these new procedures just a few months ago.

A dead humpback whale washed up in Nehalem State Park in May, and the whale was left to decompose naturally.