DFO officials are visiting Spaniard’s Bay today to assess the situation after the carcass of a whale washed up on a beach in the town yesterday.

The carcass, which appears to have drifted in from Bell Island, is within a short distance of the local rec centre and school and the town is trying to figure out what to do with the unwelcome arrival as the weather warms up

Residents and visitors are asked to keep their distance from the dead whale as it could pose a biological hazard.

The Whale Rescue and Strandings group says it was called by the Coast Guard on Sunday about the carcass which was first spotted by the Bell on Bell Island.

Julie Huntington tells VOCM News that the animal had been dead for some time, and that it appears to have died at depth before somehow coming to the surface.

She says it had gear wrapped around its tail and mouth and may have become entangled in poor weather.

DFO says it has a five-year whale-safe gear strategy that guides the use of fishing gear to prevent whale entanglement, while supporting a sustainable fishery.