The volcano whale is not finished at the moment of defeat; the current release-day answer is to carry it up the volcano and throw it inside.
After killing the volcano whale, keep the body, climb the volcano, and throw the defeated whale into it. The boss death alone does not complete this release-build objective, which is why searching for a normal NPC turn-in can leave the quest apparently stuck.
Complete the handoff
- Confirm that the volcano objective is still active after the whale dies.
- Do not sell, abandon or replace the boss body.
- Carry or move the whale up the volcano route.
- At the top, throw the body into the volcano.
- Check the objective immediately afterward before leaving the island.
This answer comes from a dated August 21 Steam discussion where another player reported the same “boss dead, no turn-in” state and received the volcano solution. The developer's public store page confirms that bosses and quests advance island progression, but it does not publish this encounter's handoff instructions.
Protect the quest object on the climb
Treat the whale as the objective, not ordinary loot. Before leaving the fight area, make sure the body is still available and that the active task still points toward the volcano. Move deliberately on narrow terrain and avoid optional fights that could make you drop or lose track of it. If co-op physics separate the carrier from the group, regroup around the body instead of rushing to the summit without it.
At the rim, make one controlled throw into the volcano and wait for the objective state to change. Throwing the body away from the crater, selling it, or leaving the island does not match the only currently confirmed handoff report. The public evidence does not establish whether a second whale can always be spawned safely, so preserving the first defeated body is the lowest-risk route.
If the body disappears or the objective does not update after the throw, treat that as a possible release-build bug and reload from the least destructive available checkpoint. There is not yet a developer-published recovery command, so this page does not invent one.
For earlier progression, use the second-island piranha guide. Return to the How to Fish guide hub for saves and achievements.
Sources
QUICK ANSWERS
Questions players ask next
Where do you turn in the whale in How to Fish?
A current release-day answer says to climb the volcano with the defeated whale and throw the body into the volcano.
Should I sell the volcano whale?
Not while the volcano objective is active. Preserve the body for the quest handoff instead of treating it as ordinary sale loot.
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