Minke whale stranded off Fife beach prompting rescue operation A rescue operation is under way after a second whale has become stranded in the Forth. Earlier this week, a pilot whale died after becoming stranded in shallow water near Edinburgh. At 8am on Friday, coastguard were called about a second whale seen stranded near Torryburn in Fife. The juvenile Minke whale is beached on mud near the shoreline at Crombie Point and it is thought it could have been there since high tide at 8pm on Thursday. Rescuers from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue have covered the 16ft whale in wet sheets and are spraying it with water. It is very stressed by the beaching and a second vet is on the way to give an opinion on what should be done. The whale would not be able to get back into the water until high tide, which is not expected until 5pm. It comes just three days after a pilot whale died when it became stranded in the shallow waters off an Edinburgh beach. After a rescue operation which lasted seven hours, the animal stopped breathing. Whales are common in the North Sea and have been spotted in the Firth of Forth before.