National Parks considers removal options for whale skeleton on beach near Eden

The cetacean's body is on the southern end of Wonboyn Beach in the Nadgee Nature Reserve, south of Eden, with visitors to the beach commenting on social media that it has been decomposing there since at least February.

On Monday afternoon a NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) spokesperson said the service was assessing the site and possible removal options.

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"While people are welcome to look, they must not touch (for hygiene reasons) or remove any of the skeleton," the spokesperson said.

"Whales are protected under the Biodiversity Conservation Act and it is illegal to have in your possession any part of a whale under state and federal legislation. Non-compliance carries significant penalties.

"While likely to be a humpback whale, samples provided in coming months to the Australian Museum will confirm species identification."

Graham Stubbs, the business manager at the Eden Killer Whale Museum, said the museum was notified about the skeleton last week and had made a preliminary look of the remains, but it was now the responsibility of the NPWS.

He said it was a complicated process to work out where the skeleton would go next, as whale skeletons "have the same standing as ivory".

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Mr Stubbs said the museum could go through a formal process and attempt to legally obtain the bones, but was "probably not interested in taking the whole specimen" as it was "not something that's terribly unique".

He said the museum already has several full skeletons and he estimated whale carcasses washed up on the region's beaches on a regular basis every couple of years.

He did say the remains on Wonboyn Beach was slightly more unusual as the whale's backbone was exposed, but if the museum were to obtain part of it then it would probably just be a sample.

"We are waiting to see what National Parks comes up with," he said.

When asked if there was any information the community should know about the skeleton, Mr Stubbs said "go and have a look, but remember not to remove the parts".