The government said Monday it will consider preserving the body of the whale found in waters off Sai Kung as a specimen for scientific and educational purposes.

The carcass, which was spotted near Shelter Island on Monday morning, was brought to High Island Reservoir West Dam in the evening for a necropsy.

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said it could take a few days for Ocean Park to carry out the investigation to ascertain the exact species of the whale and what caused its death.

Compass Chan, scientific officer of the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation, said a preliminary check showed the whale had a new wound on its dorsal fin.

"Apart from two previously discovered wounds, we found an obvious new wound on its back. But we will need to do an autopsy to confirm whether it was the cause of its death," he said.

"We will also get samples of its internal organs and blood for examination, in the hopes of understanding its health condition before it died."

He said the sad end of the huge baleen whale is a good opportunity for the people of Hong Kong to reflect on how to co-exist with other species.

The department said the necropsy results will help authorities formulate plans to handle whale sightings in future.

It said it had been monitoring the health of the whale with experts from Ocean Park, and officers had asked people and boats not to go out whale watching.

Taison Chang, chairman of the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society, said the whale watching boats must have been stressful for the whale and might have stopped it from feeding or leaving the waters of Hong Kong.

He said prompt and proactive action from the administration is needed to ensure such marine animals are not disturbed by vessels in case another whale visits the SAR.