SWAMPSCOTT, MA — The removal of a humpback whale that reappeared on a North Shore beach on Tuesday after being pulled 50 miles out to sea for disposal earlier this month is causing concerns about cost and potential contamination in Swampscott.
Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald told the Select Board on Wednesday night that discussions are ongoing about how to best remove the female whale — which has been dubbed “Espresso” — so she doesn’t find her way back on another North Shore beach after she resurfaced despite being dragged well offshore when she appeared in Marblehead on May 2.
Fitzgerald said the town is also investigating ways to offset the cost of having the whale taken away before it decomposes much further on Preston Beach.
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“We certainly don’t want to have Espresso moving up and down the North Shore to various communities,” Fitzgerald said. “We want to encourage residents that if you are curious go down and take a lot. But please do not touch it. Espresso is falling apart and decomposing. And there are pathogens. There are risks to public health. So please be careful and please do not go near it.
“It is a concern and we are going to do our best to remove that as expeditiously as possible.”
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Fitzgerald said cost is an issue with Marblehead having paid $27,000 for the initial removal of the whale there two weeks ago.
“She’s degraded quite a bit since then,” Fitzgerald said. “The thought that we could actually tie a rope to her tail is very unlikely. So we have to explore a few different options. I am looking at a number of agencies. It does seem kind of interesting to me that the EPA and NOAA all supported Marblehead but yet Espresso is back. And we’ve all made these investments.
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“It’s my hope that we can work out a deal. I am looking at budget contingencies. I do think we will be able to manage this. But I do think it will cost tens of thousands of dollars and it’s unfortunate that the state does not have a pool of revenue for coastal towns that may have to deal with this on an infrequent basis. It doesn’t happen often. But when it happens it’s a significant burden to municipalities.
“The most important thing is for us to come up with a strategy to remove it. Right now, it’s complicated.”
(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)
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