Scientists said Thursday a sperm whale that washed ashore in Hawaii on Saturday ingested large volumes of fishing traps, fishing nests, plastic bags and other marine debris which partly contributed to its death. The 56-feet long, 120,000 pound whale was seen on the reef of Kauai before the high tide brought it to shore. Director of the University of Hawaii’s Health and Stranding Lab Kristi West said the opening of the whale’s intestinal tract was obstructed by the foreign objects blocking food. She said this is the first known case in Hawaii waters of a sperm whale ingesting discarded fishing gear.
