DEAD SPERM WHALE FOUND IN SOKCHO

[Anchor Lead]

A dead sperm whale, a protected marine species, has been found in the sea off Sokcho, Gangwon-do Province. The 13-meter whale weighed more than 30 tons. This comes after a year when a dead sperm whale was found in the sea off Goseong. Take a look

[Pkg]

The back of a whale can be seen vaguely in seawater. It was lifted by a crane to find any traces of hunting. The whale measures 13 meters in length and weighs between 30 and 35 tons, the size of a boat. The body of the sperm whale was found floating in the sea off Sokcho, Gangwon-do Province, on Monday. It was spotted by a passing fishing boat, which pulled it over to Jumunjin Port in Gangneung. The sperm whale is a rare species known mostly from the novel "Moby-Dick." It's the largest among the toothed whales and can weigh more than 50 tons. The sperm whale has a lifespan of 70 years. It mostly lives in the southern part of the East Sea and the East China Sea. Previously, sperm whales were found dead in Korea in Jeollanam-do Province in 2005, Ganghwado in 2009, and in Goseong, Gangwon-do Province, last year. The National Institute of Fisheries Science says sperm whales have appeared in the East Sea every two or three years recently, including those that were spotted during maritime surveys.

[Soundbite] SOHN HO-SEON(NATIONAL INST. OF FISHERIES SCIENCE) : "Sperm whales have been spotted often in the East Sea recently, although it is not their major habitat. A study is needed to find out why."

An investigation conducted by Korea's Coast Guard has found no signs of hunting on the whale's body. A protected maritime species, sperm whales cannot be sold at auctions. The Gangneung City Government plans to bury the whale's body in a landfill in line with the relevant regulations.