A humpback whale carcass is attracting sharks to the Port River inlet at Outer Harbor — the location of Adelaide's main shipping port.
The tide could push the whale farther up the river overnight.
Jon Emmett from South Australia's National Parks and Wildlife Service said the carcass was reported by Flinders Ports yesterday and was believed to have died after being hit by a ship in the open ocean.
It was found on the bow of an international ship.
Mr Emmett said the carcass was in a difficult position to get a rope around and one or two great white sharks were feasting on it.
"It may be towed out to sea or if that happens it may actually wash in on a beach as well, but at the moment we're not able to actually access the carcass to get a rope around it so we'll have to wait until tomorrow morning," he said.
A decision is expected tomorrow on whether it will be towed out to sea or used for marine research.
Mr Emmett said the South Australian Museum could take samples of the whale.
A southern right whale and her calf wowed onlookers at Christies Beach in June, in a rare sighting of the marine mammal in Gulf St Vincent.
A large number of dolphins have died in the Port River in recent years after being hit by boats.
