Community volunteers are working alongside staff from the Department of Environment and Conservation to re-group the 17 remaining surviving whales found early this morning in a mass stranding.

Over 55 stranded whales and dolphins have died after beaching themselves at Hamelin Bay, 10km north of Augusta, early this morning.

The Department of Environment and Conservation said the mass stranding involved about 80 mammals, but only 25 had been found alive.

Since then a further eight whales have perished.