The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) says 'valuable scientific and educational opportunities' will be lost if the sperm whale which died on a beach in County Waterford recently is incinerated.

The 10.7m sperm whale survived for up to a day after it beached at Cunniger spit near Dungarvan but was too large to refloat or to euthanase, and had obviously been ill before it approached inshore waters. The last live sperm whale stranding in Irish waters was in Donegal in 2007.

IWDG feel it's a wasted opportunity when such marine mammals are simply hauled off for incineration when instead, the whale could be buried and the location marked, with the skeleton then ready for retrieval in several years.