A 25-foot whale washed up on More Mesa Beach on Friday, and the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department plans to have it towed out to sea this weekend.

County Animal Services and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History were contacted as experts to look at the whale, Public Health spokeswoman Susan Klein-Rothschild said.

This isn’t a common issue, but authorities usually consider burial (if the animal is smaller) or towing the animal out to sea, she added.

The whale is estimated to weigh about 2,000 pounds.

Sometime Saturday, the whale’s body will be towed out to sea so it can naturally disintegrate, at a location chosen by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

This plan is the safest for residents and the environment, Klein-Rothschild said.

— Noozhawk staff writer Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.