Disposal of whale carcasses done after mass stranding, authorities monitoring where bodies drift
Salmon boats helped drag hundreds of dead whales into deeper waters after more than 200 were stranded near Strahan — with some bodies likely to wash ashore. WATCH THE VIDEO
Tasmania
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Access roads to Ocean Beach and the boat ramp at Macquarie Heads near Strahan have been reopened to the public after the mass pilot whale stranding near Strahan on the west coast of Tasmania.
Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE Tas) staff and local salmon companies have removed and disposed of all but two whale carcasses from Ocean Beach near Strahan on Monday afternoon.
The majority of the carcasses were towed out to sea and released in deep open water where they are expected to initially drift south in the Southern Ocean.
NRE advised some whale carcasses would very likely come ashore but “it is hoped these are mostly south of Cape Sorell”. Others will decompose in the Southern Ocean.
Incident Controller Nic Deka said two of the rescued pilot whales were tagged with satellite trackers and preliminary data suggests they are now well south of Tasmania.
“This is positive news as this indicates that many of the rescued whales have been successfully released back into the Southern Ocean,” Mr Deka said.
“Of the 230 stranded whales reported on Wednesday September 21, we successfully moved to deep water and released 44.
“Upon completion of the incident, I would like to again say a huge thank you to NRE Tas staff, the salmon companies, volunteers, West Coast Council and the Strahan community for their assistance and support during this incident.
Carcasses may wash up on local beaches over the next few weeks from currents and tidal movements and NRE will be undertaking surveillance flights to monitor this.
The community should report any sightings to the Whale Hotline on 0427 WHALES.
Clean up continues
Friday, September 23, 2022:
Crews are continuing the rescue and release mission, as well as the massive clean-up task, after hundreds of whales were stranded near Strahan this week.
While rescuers — the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania staff, volunteers and local aquaculture company personnel — successfully released 32 whales into deep water outside Macquarie Harbour on Thursday, they were unable to access three whales due to the challenging location and tidal conditions.
Incident controller Brendon Clark said a small number of whales had restranded overnight and an on-beach assessment would confirm numbers.
“Unfortunately, one of the restranded whales has died and one animal had to be euthanised for animal welfare reasons,” Mr Clark said.
“The priority today is to rescue and release the remaining surviving whales along with any others that may re-strand, before the team begins to focus on removal and disposal operations of about 200 deceased whales.”
Operations manager Dr Kris Carlyon said the cold and rainy conditions on the west coast today are ideal for the surviving whales, who are at risk of overheating when they are ashore.
Mr Clark once again thanked the aquaculture companies who have assisted with vessels and a telehandler to help lift the whales.
The equipment from these companies will also be used in moving the deceased whales, with an at-sea burial in deep waters the preferred option.
Weather conditions will determine the timing for the removal of the whales.
A community meeting will be held tonight to inform residents and businesses about the operation and for the community to ask questions.
Army of wildlife heroes race to save stranded whales
EVERY moment was precious on Thursday as an army of wildlife heroes managed to save every whale that had a chance of survival after a mass stranding on the West Coast near Macquarie Harbour.
Following the stranding of 230 pilot whales on Wednesday at Ocean Beach and Macquarie Heads, near Strahan, only 35 were still alive Thursday morning.
Thirty-two animals were successfully refloated back into the ocean, while a further three remained alive on the beach andwould be refloated on Friday.
Department of Natural Resources and Environment marine biologist Sam Thalmann said it was an amazing effort to save the whales.
“It’s been a great success, no doubt the collaboration with the local aquaculture companies … developing and working on the technique that we established in 2020 where we directly sling live animals using the whale rescue mats (worked well),” Mr Thalmann said.
“It can be emotional, pilot whales are very sensitive beings and we can often hear them calling and communicating to each other.
“Getting those that we can back out to sea so they can re-associate with other pilot whales makes it all worthwhile.”
Mr Thalmann said tidal conditions at the location of the three remaining whales prevented them being taken back to deep wateron Thursday.
Using strong trailers and heavy machinery, the successfully relocated whales were moved from their stranding spot on Ocean Beach and taken south into the calmer waters of Macquarie Harbour.
They were then put in a sling attached to a boat and escorted through Macquarie Heads, known locally as Hells Gates, and takento deep ocean.
Two of the whales re-stranded soon after, but were quickly returned back to the ocean.
“Unfortunately a number of them will re-strand and we will continue to monitor Ocean Beach and surrounding areas for thosewhales,” Mr Thalmann said.
“But we expect a few will pod up together and hopefully head out back to the Continental Shelf where pilot whales really are best to be.”
The pod involved in the mass stranding consisted mainly of female and juvenile whales, with about 200 dead on the beach.
Experts said the high death rate came down to where they were stranded, as they couldn’t be dragged directly back out to sea and “the exposed conditions had taken its toll on the animals”.
Attention has now turned to disposing of the carcasses.
Following a mass stranding in 2020 at Ocean Beach, deceased whales were left to decompose until the stench became unbearable and they were buried.
Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service regional operations manager Brendon Clark said that won’t happen again.
“Our first option will be long-lining the carcasses out to deep ocean, utilising again the vessels which have been so readily provided by the aquaculture companies,” Mr Clark said.
“We’ll get them out into deep ocean, as far out as we can in suitable weather conditions.”
Mr Clark said Sunday was looking like the most viable option to dispose of the carcasses and the public would be notifiedwhen Ocean Beach was reopened.
Biologist Kris Carlyon said mass stranding events were “typically results of accidentally coming to shore”.
He said the deceased whales would undergo a post-mortem examination, including an analysis of their stomach content, to seeif they possibly chased squid or another food source close to the shore.
All of the surviving whales have been tagged and will be tracked to ensure they are assisted if they restrand.
Further pilot whales have been found swimming in Macquarie Harbour, with plans to relocate them safely back to sea in the coming days.
Rescue teams frantically try to save beached whales on West Coast
IT’S A feeling like none other – watching a whale swim back to the safety of the ocean.
For a rescuer like Tom Mountney, one of about 20 aquaculture industry workers who rolled up their sleeves to help at Strahan’s mass stranding, it was a feeling that made days of gruelling work worthwhile.
Mr Mountney, assistant manager at Petuna Aquaculture, took out one of his company’s jet boats along with similar vessels from Tassal and Huon Aquaculture.
“We’ve had a fairly large number of whales that were still alive this morning,” he said.
“The guys on the ground got the whales in slings, in blankets, and then we used our jet boats to nose into the beach.”
Mr Mountney said the whales were then strapped to the side of the jet boats and guided back into the ocean.
“We’ve thrown as much as we can at it,” he said, noting the crews returned about 30 whales to the ocean on Thursday.
“It’s worked a lot better than we thought it would.
“Seeing them swim away is positive. It’s great, it’s really nice.”
He said sometimes the whales turned back to swim back towards the beach, which was “not very nice”.
However, he said the vast majority “seem to be going pretty well”.
Mr Mountney – who also helped at Strahan two years ago, at the largest mass stranding in Australian history – said the rescuers would continue as long as they could.
“There are still whales that are alive so we’re sticking at it.”
SEE THE FULL GALLERY OF THE RESCUE MISSION
‘We may lose more’: Rescue teams frantically try to save beached whales on west coast
About 200 whales have been confirmed dead or will be unable to be saved in a catastrophic event on Tasmania’s west coast, as teams race against time to save the remaining few.
The mass stranding on Ocean Beach, just outside the small coastal community of Strahan, has captured headlines around the world.
Speaking to the media on Thursday morning, Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service Regional Operations Manager Brendon Clark said only 35 of the estimated 230 stranded pilot whales had been identified as being able to survive.
He said the high death rate was a result of where the mammals had stranded.
“It’s due to the exposed conditions on Ocean Beach, as opposed to two years ago (2020’s mass whale stranding at Macquarie Harbour) where we had many of those animals in the estuary of the harbour and were stranded in much more sheltered waters,” Mr Clark said.
“The exposed conditions is certainly taking its toll on the animals.”
An army of around 50 volunteers and trained personnel will be involved in today’s rescue and release mission.
Time is of the essence for the dedicated teams, with the sun and warmer conditions shortening a stranded whale’s chance of survival by the minute.
The three local aquaculture companies, West Coast Council, SES and Tasmania Police are all on location assisting the operation.
Large whale mats will be used to put under the 35 surviving creatures and they will be individually trailer-ed about 1km south along Ocean Beach.
Their destination will be just north of Macquarie Heads, known locally as ‘Hells Gates’.
From here the animals will be dragged out to calmer waters by boat.
Biologist Kris Carlyon it’s “inevitable” more will die throughout today’s operation.
“They’re stressed, they’ve had a long time on the beach and it is a possibility that we may lose further animals,” Dr Carlyon said.
“We’ve got the team and the strategy in place now to maximise success and we’ll be working hard all day to make sure we save as many as possible.”
Babies among the beached
At least 10 baby whales have been among the 230 which were beached in a mass stranding at Macquarie Harbour.
Zone manager for Huon Aquaculture for Strahan Linton Kringle was one of the first on scene 200-300m north of Hells Gate.
He said there were at least 10 baby whales.
“Fairly small ones, probably a metre and a half long, maybe 150kg … they’re scattered in between the big ones,” Mr Kringle said.
Huon Acquaculture workers counted 233 on Ocean Beach and more were inside the harbour on the other side of the channel.
Petuna Aquaculture workers were helping to rescue whales trapped inside Macquarie Harbour.
The latest incident was exactly two years to the day since the largest whale stranding in Australia’s history happened in the same spot on September 21, 2020, with almost 400 whales being killed.
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