LIHUE, Kauai — The carcass of a young humpback whale was spotted off a West Kauai beach yesterday and scientists are examining it today to determine a cause of death.

Kekaha Beach lifeguards reported the 14- to 15-foot calf about 300 yards offshore yesterday morning, said Randy Ortiz, ocean safety trainer for the Kauai Ocean Safety Bureau.

Lifeguards later assisted the Coast Guard in getting ropes around the mammal to tow it to a secluded beach several miles west, Ortiz said.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists were conducting a necropsy today, said NOAA spokeswoman Wende Goo.

Kekaha Beach remained open because there were no shark sightings, Ortiz said.

This is the second whale calf carcass spotted off Kauai's west coast in the past two weeks, Ortiz said. A carcass had been reported on privately owned Niihau, he said.

Investigators from the state departments of Land and Natural Resources and Health weren't able to find a whale carcass when they were on Niihau to investigate a fish kill last week, DLNR spokeswoman Debbie Ward said.

The results of that investigation, which found hundreds of dead fish on several Niihau beaches, are pending, Ward said today.

While on Niihau, investigators observed monk seals for possible signs of trouble, but they appeared to be healthy, Ward said.

Fish species found included triggerfishes, rudderfish and a snapper, along with several other species in smaller quantities.

Until the cause of the fish kill is determined, people are advised not to consume any fish that seems impaired or sluggish in its movements and has any strange or unusual odor. Possible causes of the kill include an unknown contaminant, parasites, disease, or marine toxins, Ward said.

Anyone with information on the fish kill is asked to contact: Don Heacock, DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (Kauai), at 808-274-3344, or Watson Okubo, DOH Clean Water Branch, at 808-586-4309.