Barnegat Light Borough Council backed up the town’s action to bury the 30-ton whale carcass on the 19th Street beach a week before, bringing copies of letters from agencies saying that was the only way it could have been disposed of.

The 54-foot decomposing carcass is under 5 feet of sand close to the dune line, covered with lime and a 50-by-60-foot tarp, and fencing surrounds the spot.