Rescuers race to save whales before efforts move into 'retrieval and disposal'

Exhausted marine experts and volunteers on Tasmania's West Coast are trying to save as many stranded pilot whales as they can in the shrinking window of time they have left.It will be a massive undertaking to deal with so many carcassesSo far rescue teams have managed to free about 25 of the 270 whales stranded on sandbars off Strahan, but many more have died.

"I would expect that we would shift through a transition from rescue into the retrieval and disposal effort … we're just considering options at the present time," he said.'It's going to be a huge operation' Mr Tucker said there were four main options for dealing with whale carcasses: dragging them out to sea, burying them, leaving them to decompose, or disposing them at a waste management facility."Although pilot whales are small there are just so many," he added."If it is a location where leaving a lot of the carcasses in situ is viable, that may be considered … the most natural option is to the leave the carcasses where they are to decompose," Mr Tucker said.

"Some of our latest research has shown that when there's a stranded whale carcass on the beach … they tend to hang around the area a bit more so that could potentially increase the risk of their being an interaction between a human being in the water and a shark," he added.The tragic loss of so many whales will provide a rare experience for scientists.

abchobart Must be tough for the rescuers when they rescue some and find they have re-beached themselves. Well done to all the team and their continuing efforts.

Sadly it does not look like an approaching good outcome!..

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