Dead whale covered in shark bites keeps washing up on Maine islands

A 43-foot juvenile male fin whale with extensive shark bites washed ashore and began decomposing on Enchanted Island, about five miles south of Stonington, according to local volunteers and marine mammal responders. Crew members noticed an odor on the island two weeks ago and discovered the carcass after landing. The whale likely arrived—then floated away from other islands in the Merchant’s Row archipelago—starting at least in late July, with initial reports on McGlathery Island on July 22 and on neighboring Spruce Island the next day. Fin whales, listed as federally endangered, are generally offshore, making dead strandings rare. Allied Whale at the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor handled reports; NOAA says causes of death often can’t be determined.