MCIVERS -
A tissue sample collected from the remains of a large sea animal found on Lower Cove beach last week has been sent for analysis, but it is likely the remnants of a long-dead whale or basking shark.
John Lubar, director of conservation with the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans in Corner Brook, took a sample from what appeared to be a two-foot flipper.
DFO Corner Brook focuses on species conservation and enforcement of law in North Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) management zone 4R, which includes part of Labrador's southern shore. The western office avails of departmental science resources based in St. John's, Lubar said.
Meanwhile, residents continue to be drawn to the site of the "hairy"15-foot carcass which bears remnants of a once-living organism that looked to include a pointed 10-foot "tail" and a square, thick '"torso." There is no evidence of a head.
An admitted oddity to even old-time fishers in the area, some witnesses to the site speculated it could be anything from a giant squid or a super seahorse to some prospective unclassified monster from the deeps.
Scientific assessment of the sample offers to appease that one big question on most minds. What is it?
Lubar admits no particular scientific expertise. From his preliminary investigation, though, he suggested the carcass was not a single animal, but probably part of a large marine mammal, though he could not specifically say it was flesh stripped from a whale, though that seems most likely.
Monday afternoon, a DFO spokesperson contacted The Western Star to report preliminary analysis of the object indicates it is the remains of either a small whale, such as a minke, or a basking shark. It is hoped the tissue sample taken from the carcass will confirm the species.
Lubar said whales are often known to be mortally wounded in collisions with large ocean-going vessels when they cross paths in shipping lanes.
He said the carcass is difficult to assess from simple visual inspection given the advanced state of decomposition, but did note there is no immediate evidence of bony structures or broad sections of intact skin.
Bluish fibrous spots which resemble patches of hair may merely be the product of advanced decay in the muscle tissue of the creature, which Lubar suspects is cetacean, a large ocean mammal. He could not predict how long the scientific review could take.
