This issue of beached whales has and been for some time now, quite an issue in South Africa, there has been an ever increasing number of whales washing up on their beaches, dead or alive, in most cases alive and cannot think as to why the people over there take the first option that comes to mind, that being, to pump the poor mammal full of TNT and blow the thing to hell! I am at a loss here, I have seen and been part of actually towing the (live whale) back to the ocean.
All I see here is providing food for seagulls and other beach scavengers, apart from getting hit with pieces of flying blubber most weighing in at over 20kg!
Spanky

Seems the most cost effective waf.

Can I suggest those who refuse to be saved be sliced and auctioned off for the bbq? Proceeds to whale research? Mammalicious morsels?

Sell them to the Japanese? For research purposes, naturally.

If they are still alive they should be harvested, provided there isn't some health risk involved. As far as I know most whales beach themselves because they are dying. If you tow them out to see you just feed the predators that the whales would prefer not to have following them around in calving season. Either that or they just beach themselves again and again till they find a nice secluded spot where they can die in peace without people trying to 'help' them.

Why we should allow whaling:

http://ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1168478179/36#36