UPDATE WEDNESDAY APRIL 17
The whale was towed off the Seahurst Park beach about 11 p.m. last night to an undisclosed location.

UPDATE TUESDAY, APRIL 16:

Burien has arranged with NOAA and West Seattle-based Global Diving and Salvage to tow the whales remains's at about midnight or 1:00 a.m. tonight, Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, to a secure location for it to decompose naturally.

A Global Diving & Salvage spokesperson told the Highline Times that the timing for removal of the whale is based on high tides.

NOAA will collect samples from the whale and an organization will collect the whale’s skull.

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A "mid size" Fin whale washed ashore on the public beach at Seahurst Park in Burien Saturday morning. Experts guessed that the whale was struck by a boat or ship as the cause of death.

The carcass drew the attention of hundreds of people who clambered over rocks to reach the scene.

Kaddee Lawrence, Executive Director for Highline Marine Science and Technology Center said , "We are part of the Marine Mammal Stranding Network and this beach is part of our coverage area so we get called first to come down."

She estimated the whale was "22 meters long from snout to tail," and that it was an uncommon whale for Puget Sound waters.

The whale was being sampled to determine its relative health before it died but the stomach contents would not be retrieved.

The carcass will be allowed to float out with the next high tide where it will likely sink said Lawrence.