Missing Humpback whale tangled in 200m of ropes and 11 flotation buoys off Gippsland’s east coast found days later in Lakes Entrance
An entangled humpback whale that was found by crews after going missing off Gippsland’s east coast for days may have towed ropes and fishing lines all the way from Antarctica.
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A humpback whale entangled in 200m of fishing lines, ropes and flotation buoys and disappeared off Gippsland’s east coast has been freed by search crews.
First spotted by helicopter crews flying to offshore gas and oil platforms near Ninety Mile Beach on Sunday June 23, the whale was found off Lakes Entrance on Friday.
The Department of Energy Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) believes the whale may have towed all the ropes and fishing lines from as far as Antarctica, where humpbacks feed over the summer months.
Authorities attached a telemetry buoy to the whale allowing its movements to be tracked and crews caught up with the whale about 24km off the coast of Marlo.
They began the disentanglement operation on Saturday.
By the afternoon, all the buoys and a bulk of ropes were removed, but a smaller section of rope could not be removed and was still attached to the whale.
The day after the whale went missing, DEECA organised an incident management team to try and locate the mammal and prepared for a disentanglement operation to take place.
Incident controller Ellen Dwyer said a helicopter searched for two days between Wilsons Promontory and Point Hicks with no luck.
“A DEECA specialised whale disentanglement crew, including staff from Victorian Fisheries Authority and Parks Victoria, were on standby at Lakes Entrance to remove the ropes and lines if it was located,” she said.
“These crew members are trained to deal safely with entangled whales.
“After an assessment, the crew makes a determination on the best course of action. The safety of the crew is always our priority when making assessments.”
DEECA praised the effort of all crews involved — who performed their work professionally, safely and with the utmost care for the whale’s welfare.
Humpbacks migrate up to 10,000km each year, from the rich feeding grounds near Antarctica to the warmer waters of northern Australia where they calve and mate.
Marine pollution is a global problem affecting entire ecosystems and directly impacting animals including whales.
The department urged the public to report all whale and dolphin strandings — either dead or alive — to the DEECA Whale and Dolphin Emergency Hotline on 1300 136 017.
Anyone in boats who witnessed an entanglement should stay at least 200m from whales and not attempt to disentangle them.
Mariners are advised to exercise caution in the area offshore from Loch Sport, as the whale could be a “navigational hazard”.
More information is available here.
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