Whales Beach Themselves in Digby County

More whales reportedly stranded


Thu. Dec 24 - 4:46 AM


DFO fisheries officer Dwayne Muise of Meteghan and Jonathan Hynes of Tusket try to turn a whale around.





YARMOUTH — Federal fishery officers were on their way to another reported beaching of pilot whales late Wednesday.

Officers headed to Bartletts Beach in Digby County, where six whales were said to be on the beach.

A report came in after 2 p.m. that the whales had stranded themselves, said Howard Blinn, who works in the Meteghan office of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

It was not immediately known what condition the whales were in or what officers would be able to do to help the animals return to the sea.

Four pilot whales beached themselves Tuesday at nearby Port Maitland Beach, Yarmouth County, and along another rocky beach near Beaver River.

Eight fisheries officers managed to return some of the whales to the sea but at least two died, said Mr. Blinn.

Two whales were roughly four metres in length and each weighed about one tonne, while the smaller ones each weighed about 360 kilograms or less, fisheries officers said Tuesday