Second dead whale spotted floating off the coast of Perth A whale carcass spotted floating off the coast of Perth today is being towed out to sea, the State Government has confirmed. A second dead whale has been spotted floating upside between Rottnest and the mainland. A WHALE carcass spotted floating off the coast of Perth today is being towed out to sea, the State Government has confirmed. A Department of Fisheries spokesman Phil Shaw confirmed that authorities have attached a line to tow the carcass out to sea. He said several sharks had been seen feeding from the carcass, which is believed to be humpback whale more than 10 metres in length. The whale carcass was first sighted and reported to authorities just before 10am this morning, by the crew of a vessel returning from Rottnest. At that stage it was five nautical miles off the coast," Mr Shaw said. The whale carcass being towed out to sea. Fremantle Port Authority (FPA) is providing the resources to carry out the tow of the carcass, following a consensus reached between the departments of Fisheries, Parks & Wildlife, Premier and Cabinet, and FPA. The risks of towing include the carcass breaking up or drifting back towards the coast. At an approximate speed of three knots, the carcass will probably be towed out about 20 miles by an FPA response vessel. The exact distance may be dependent on swell conditions and available light. Mr Shaw said it is possible the whale carcass will continue act as an attractant to sharks off the metropolitan coast. Port authority workers towing the carcass are expected to reach the destination where they plan to dump it about 7.30pm The carcass is drifting about five nautical miles off Cottesloe Beach, amid reports that there was a shark feeding frenzy on it. The sighting comes after it emerged it cost around $170,000 to remove a 30-tonne whale carcass which washed up on Scarborough Beach last week. The City of Stirling revealed the hefty bill today. The local authority had to seek permission and bring in specialised equipment to remove the animal from the beach. The process took several days. Last week the State Government was criticised for not towing the dead whale out further and leaving it for local ratepayers to foot the bill for its removal. The humpback whale which washed up at Scarborough beach last week caused the City of Stirling a $170,000 headache. Today, a Department of Fisheries spokesman could not clarify what course of action it would take with regards to this dead carcass. He said a fisheries vessel had been dispatched to the area to assess the situation and that they received reports the floating carcass sparked a shark feeding frenzy. Originally published as Whale carcass towed out to sea