Taiwan to preserve skeleton of dead fin whale

台灣將保存一具長鬚鯨之遺體的骨頭。

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The skeleton of a rare fin whale found dead off Taiwan's east coast earlier this year will be preserved for research and education by the National Museum of Natural Science.

The 15-meter fin whale was discovered drifting near a fixed fishing net off the coast of Hualien County in early March. By the time it was found, the carcass was already badly decomposed, per CNA.

With assistance from a local company, the whale was towed ashore to Chongde Beach, where researchers conducted an on-site dissection. After the bones were separated from the carcass, the remains were disposed of at sea, while the skeleton was packaged and transported to the museum for preservation and study.

Museum Associate Researcher Yao Chiou-ju (姚秋如) said fin whales primarily inhabit open-ocean environments and are found in major oceans around the world. However, commercial whaling has severely reduced their populations, particularly in the western Pacific.

According to the Ocean Conservation Administration's Marine Animal Rescue Network, approximately 200 whales, dolphins, and other cetaceans strand on Taiwan's shores each year. Since 2005, three fin whale strandings have been recorded in Taiwan.

Yao said the first documented fin whale stranding occurred in Taoyuan in 2005. The second was discovered near Guishan Island in 2025. The most recent case was the whale found off Chongde Beach this year.

The 2005 specimen was added to the National Museum of Natural Science's collection, while the Taiwan Cetacean Society is handling the 2025 stranding. Following efforts to secure preservation of the Hualien specimen, the museum will also oversee its preparation for research and educational purposes, per CNA.

The museum said it is preparing to create a full-scale replica of the whale. The skeletal specimen is expected to become part of the museum's permanent collection and may eventually be displayed after renovations to the Life Science Hall are completed.