State Department of Land and Natural Resources personnel and a private contractor removed the carcass of a humpback whale from a reef near Marine Corps Base Hawaii today.

The carcass is believed to be the same one that was originally towed out to sea on Dec. 26 after it was spotted off Haleiwa. If so, it is likely that ocean currents carried the carcass into Kaneohe Bay, where it was discovered on Dec. 29.

Sharks have been seen feeding in the area of the carcass, which is located about 200 meters off the west coast of the base.

Concerned about the carcass attracting sharks, officials from DLNR, MCBH, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the University of Hawaii’s Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology and local salvage experts decided to tow the carcass, which had split into two sections while on the reef, back to shore rather than attempt to take it back out to sea again.

Accompanied by DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement officers on jet skis and a boat, the salvage vessel Hookupu, operated by Cates International, towed the tail, jaw and skull sections to a boat ramp at the base.