Beach Kill - the New Roadkill?

When a 7-foot pygmy sperm whale beached itself and then died on Delray Beach in Florida, Chris Hogan didn't hesitate. He whipped out his knife and cut off a two foot section of it including the tail fin. He had plans to eat the thin layer of meat beneath the skin and then use the fins for soup.

There was only one problem. It is illegal under Florida law as well as under the federal Marine Mammals Act to even possess parts of a whale. A lifeguard informed him of the law after he had cut off the section and then the police and wildlife officials were called.

The Palm Beach Post News has both pictures and video to go with the story.

Mr. Hogan, who has been unemployed for two years, apologized to the State of Florida and said he didn't know it was illegal. He does worry about the fines which could go as high as $800 for a first offense. There is no word whether the Feds will charge him with violating the Marine Mammals Act as well.

The money quote for lovers of roadkill - or in this case beach kill - was this:

Hogan said he wasn't worried about health issues because the body still was warm and there was only one fly on it.

"The tide was still going out. So it (the whale) hadn't been there that long. The sand was still wet," he said.

There was no word on whether Mr. Hogan had a copy of The Original Roadkill Cookbook.

H/T Camo Underground.