The town of Nantucket has announced how it plans to deal with a 52-ton dead sperm whale that washed up on the Massachusetts island over the weekend.

Town manager Libby Gibson said at a Select Board meeting on Wednesday that the town is working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to tow the dead animal back out to sea.

"Plans are underway to remove the whale and tow it offshore, which has to be many, many, many miles away, outside of the so-called drift-zone so it doesn't reappear," Gibson said. "There's not a specific time or day for the removal, but it is going to hopefully happen soon, before Thanksgiving."

Whale "too big" to move for study

Scientists had hoped to move the 50-foot whale for a full necropsy to find out how it died, but Marine Mammal Alliance Nantucket said it was "far too big, awkward and heavy to remove from the beach."

The group said the whale is on one of the most popular beaches on the north side of the island, and the first priority is making sure there's no danger to beachgoers, swimmers and boaters.

Federal law enforcement have removed the lower jaw of the sperm whale because the ivory teeth are valuable and could be a target for thieves. 

Paying tribute

The alliance said many people have come by to "pay respects to this magnificent creature," and left flowers and petals at the scene. Groups of school children have also visited to learn more about the endangered species.

The public is asked to keep a safe distance away from the whale as scientists take as many tissue and organ samples as they can.

"It is a sad event, but a rare learning opportunity," the group said.

Gibson said there was a similar case in Yarmouth a year ago, when an even larger dead whale had to be towed 65 miles off Cape Cod to make sure it didn't return.

"But that's the type of effort it's going to take to make sure we don't see it again," Gibson said.

The bill for towing the whale will likely land with the town of Nantucket, Gibson said, but there may be cost-sharing or reimbursement opportunities with other entities.