Pilot Whale remains cause unpleasant smell and outrage among St Vincent and the Grenadines residents

The residents of Barrouallie, St Vincent and the Grenadines were met with a disturbing view due to the presence of the parts of pilot whale (Blackfish) that were reportedly abandoned on the beach. The remains of a species of oceanic dolphin caused an extremely unpleasant smell for all the beachgoers, making it difficult for them to enjoy their time at the beach. 

Sharing the pictures of the remains of the blackfish on their official social media accounts, the netizens expressed their frustration and requested the authorities to remove the decomposing body from the beach. They emphasized about the dead body and highlighted about the unpleasant smell, which has made the sight ‘disturbing’ and ‘disgusting’ for both netizens and the visitors. 

According to the information, the whales were caught, prepared and processed for sale, but several parts of it were left on the beach. Notably, Barrouallie is also home to the only facility which is dedicated to the pilot whale, also known as the Blackfish. These pilot whales are cut into strips and dried, while the blubber is boiled to a crisp in vats to extract the oil. 

Benefits of Pilot Whale in fishing industry 

As per reports, the skillful processing of blackfish adds value and allows the fisherfolk in post-harvest to gain higher earnings. The value-added products from the blackfish include dried blackfish meat, crisp dried blubber, also known as crips, blackfish oil. The blackfish is known as significant for the fishers, providing them with multiple options to generate large amount of revenue. Some fishers also even use the teeth of the blackfish to make necklaces and pendants, providing them an opportunity to showcase or sell their produced goods.

The netizens highlighted about their support for fishing industry, however urged the authorities to ensure not to repeat such incidents in the future. They added that such instances create a negative image in the eyes of tourists, harming the reputation of the country.

Netizen’s reaction on discovering remains of Blackfish 

 The netizens reacted differently as an individual wrote, “They really need to do something better about it and be more careful about people health.” “It's disgusting, I was by the beach today and could see them being bought and out by the tide, and there were people bathing in the same water and it smells very bad,” wrote another. 

“Good for them, they should not have killed and butchered the whale in the first place. They are very important to the ocean ecosystem and are endangered,” said another.