The skeleton of a fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) found on the beach in Stegna nine years ago has become part of the permanent exhibition at the Krzysztof Skóra Marine Station in Hel. The exhibition's opening ceremony was held on December 6 and was attended by representatives of the UG, local authorities, and regional institutions.
Speakers at the opening of the exhibition included dr hab. Anna Jurkowska-Zeidler, prof. UG, Vice-Rector for Cooperation and International Relations, prof . dr hab. Magdalena Bełdowska, Vice-Dean for Science and Development of the UG Faculty of Oceanography and Geography, Mirosław Wądołowski, Mayor of Hel, Łukasz Tamkun, President of the WFOŚiGW in Gdańsk, and Roman Kołodziejski, for many years Chief Inspector of Coastal Protection from the Maritime Office in Gdynia.
FRUG President Marzena Chojnacka and Station Manager Dr Iwona Pawliczka vel Pawlik welcomed the guests. During the event, the story of the fin whale, whose body was found on the beach in Stegna in 2015, was told. At that time it weighed about 23 tonnes and measured 17 metres and 20 centimetres. The body was examined and dissected by scientists from the Marine Station of the University of Gdańsk.
‘Around 30 people worked on the body throughout the night. So far, we have been able to establish that the body belongs to a male fin whale. We still have a lot of work ahead of us, as we anticipate that the examination of the body will take several more days,’ the late Professor Krzysztof Skóra, then head of the Station, told the Tricity.pl portal in 2015. The post-mortem of the fin whale was conducted by dr Iwona Pawliczka vel Pawlik.
photo by Piotr Wittman/PAP
Already then, nine years ago, there was a talk of potentially creating an exhibition from the skeleton of a young fin whale. A company was sought to conserve it and turn it into an exhibit. Eventually, the project entitled ‘Exhibition of the skeleton of the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) from the Baltic Sea as a unique tool in marine environmental education’ was co-financed by the Provincial Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management in Gdańsk and the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management.
The exhibition was opened to the sounds of the La Mer melody - prof. Krzysztof Skóra's favourite piece.
