Posted on: Friday, June 14, 2002

Sharks could visit Kualoa, state warns

By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer

The state has posted signs warning the public to stay out of the water along the Kualoa-Ka'a'awa coast, where a decomposing whale carcass is on a reef and could attract sharks.

Fishermen spotted the whale Wednesday evening. Yesterday, a team of investigators found remains on a reef about 100 yards offshore, a quarter of a mile north of Kualoa Ranch, said Margaret Akamine Dupree, protected species program coordinator for the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Dupree, who was part of the investigating team, said a veterinarian identified the remains as the jaw of a humpback whale, weighing between 4,000 and 5,000 pounds.

"Chunks of flesh are falling off that carcass and are washing ashore," she said, adding that there was a lot of whale oil in the water and that people should stay away because sharks are attracted to dead animals.

Dupree said she and other investigators did not see sharks in the area yesterday.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources posted the warning signs and advised Kualoa Ranch, which offers water activities, and other neighbors about the potential danger, Dupree said.

National Marine Fisheries Service personnel were to check on the carcass last night to make another assessment of the situation. High tide was expected at 6 p.m.

"We're not sure if that high tide is going to be strong enough to move that piece of animal into shore so it can be disposed of properly," she said.