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Kuskokwim Fishermen Locate Whale Carcass And Work To Bring It To Shore

Katie Basile
/
KYUK

Fishermen from Napaskiak and surrounding communities have found the whale that sank to the bottom of the Kuskokwim River after being killed on Thursday.

The fishermen have attached a small hook to the carcass, located near Napaskiak. The hook is connected to a buoy to mark its position.

Currently, six boats are circling the area, dragging larger hooks along the river’s bottom. The fishermen are hoping that the hooks will snag deep into the whale’s carcass so that they can pull it to shore.

Napaskiak residents welded two large hooks that the fishermen are using to retrieve the whale. Each hook is about two feet wide by four feet long.

Whales are not usually seen in this area of the Kuskokwim River. The legal implications of this incident are unclear at this point, but it is clear that whales are protected species under both federal law and international treaty.

Anna Rose MacArthur served as KYUK's News Director from 2015-2022.