Sharks Feed on Beached Whale in Jamaica; NEPA Warns Swimmers

A whale carcass that washed ashore at Salt Marsh in Trelawny, on Jamaica's north coast, on Friday, 18 September has drawn sharks into shallow water, and the country's National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) answered on Saturday, 19 September with a public advisory telling people to stay out of the sea in the area.

The Jamaica Gleaner reported that witnesses saw the whale in the sea at about 5:00 pm on Friday before the carcass washed up along the shoreline. The sight drew so many onlookers that traffic backed up for miles along the road running from St James into Trelawny, and members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force were sent to the scene as the crowd grew. Some witnesses told the paper they had seen a shark near the carcass, and that a section of the whale's fin appeared to have been bitten off.

NEPA's statement, carried on Saturday by both the Jamaica Observer and the Gleaner, said the carcass "may continue to attract sharks and other scavengers even after feeding activity is no longer visible." The agency asked the public to avoid swimming, fishing and other recreational activity in the immediate area until authorities advise that it is safe to return; to keep children and pets away from the shoreline; not to touch, disturb or try to remove the carcass; never to feed, capture, provoke or try to drive away the sharks; and not to approach or surround the animals with boats.

NEPA also addressed something people at the scene could see for themselves: the reddish colour in the water. That, the agency said, is likely blood and tissue released during feeding and should not automatically be treated as a sign of pollution. It described the presence of sharks and marine mammals in Jamaican waters as a natural occurrence, and the feeding itself as part of a normal ecological process rather than evidence of an unusual environmental event, noting that sharks act as both predators and scavengers, removing decaying organic matter and recycling nutrients.

Key details remain open. Neither NEPA nor either newspaper has identified the whale's species or said what killed it, and the Gleaner reported that there was no immediate official word on whether the carcass would be examined or removed. Jamaica's National Fisheries Authority is the body responsible for fisheries research, monitoring and conservation. Until authorities say otherwise, NEPA's instruction is unchanged: observe only from a safe distance, and wait for the all-clear before going back in the water.