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A sperm whale found stranded in coastal waters of Taiwan's Chiayi County on Oct. 15 that died three days later was found to have fishing nets and plastic bags filling its stomach.

Researchers carry out an autopsy on the sperm whale. [Photo/gmw.cn]

Blood congestion was found in the waist and rear part of the whale, making it unable to swim and so likely to have caused it to be washed up on the shore. The whale was 15 meters long and weighed 23 tons.

"Its stomach was filled with fishing nets and plastic bags enough to fill a large-sized garbage skip. Human beings do harm to the ocean and they indirectly killed this whale,"said Wang Jianping, director of the National Cheng Kung University's Marine Biology and Cetacean Research Center in Taiwan.

A study in 2014 found that ingestion of marine debris was documented in 56 percent of cetacean species examined, with the rates of ingestion as high as 31 percent, according to a report by National Geographic in January.

Sperm whales are susceptible to plastic bag ingestion as they often mistake it for squid, their main prey, according to the report.

Wang said the garbage found in the whale was the largest amount so far recorded.

The whale could not swim due to its injured tail, and the garbage in the stomach. Although perhaps not the direct reason for its death, rubbish ingestion led to emaciation and that made it too vulnerable to survive, Wang said.

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