A series of photos from the Western Australia Department of Biodiversity Conservation shows a large amount of short-finned pilot whales beached in Hamelin Bay, Western Australia on Friday. /VCG Photo

At least half of the beached short-finned pilot whales died while rescuers worked hard to herd them back out to sea. /VCG Photo

The disaster at Hamelin Bay, some 315 kilometers south of Perth, was spotted by a commercial fisherman at daybreak, who called in rescuers due to fears that the carcasses may attract sharks. /VCG Photo