Dead minke whale towed to P.E.I. shore

Fishermen in eastern P.E.I. were towing a dead minke whale —  first mistaken for an overturned boat — to shore Monday.

The minke whale, first thought to be an endangered blue, is believed to be about nine metres long. It was discovered Sunday floating on its back about three kilometres off Campbell's Cove.

Fisherman Russell Macphee suspects the whale got tangled in or swallowed some fishing gear.

"Just really don't know," Macphee told CBC News.

"It seemed like he got turned upside down, he can't get back. At one time it looked like he was on shore or on rock. His belly is scratched up."

The whale was first spotted by a search and rescue crew that rushed to the scene after receiving a report of an overturned boat.

Veterinarians were on site Tuesday to confirm the species of whale.

A necropsy was planned Tuesday to determine the cause of death, and to examine physical trauma and signs of disease.

There are fears the whale may be too decomposed to yield accurate results. 

Officials from the P.E.I. fisheries department want to meet with Atlantic Veterinary College, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and fishermen to discuss the issue. 

This is the third dead minke whale found this year off the Island.