1t Male Mink Whale Found Dead in Tongyeong

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] A mink whale was found dead near the waters off Yokjido, Tongyeong-si, Gyeongnam.

According to Sacheon Coast Guard on the 6th, at around 8:07 a.m. on the 4th, a 9.77-ton fishing vessel discovered a dead whale caught in a net while hauling in the net it had set, and reported it.

A mink whale carcass discovered in the waters near Yokjido, Tongyeong-si, Gyeongnam, is being pulled up.
[Photo by Sacheon Coast Guard]

Police from Sacheon Coast Guard Sacheon Substation confirmed the whale at the Samcheonpo Fisheries Cooperative Auction Market, measuring 5.05 meters in length, 2.43 meters in girth, and weighing about 1 ton.

No harpoon marks or signs of capture by illegal fishing gear were found on the whale, and the National Institute of Fisheries Science Whale Research Center identified it as a male mink whale.

The Coast Guard stated, "Since it is not classified as a marine protected species, it was confirmed that auctioning was possible, and a whale processing confirmation certificate was issued to the fishing vessel captain."

The whale was reportedly sold for 60 million KRW at the auction market.