Final update 11:20am A juvenile humpback whale entangled in netting has been set free by the NPWS disentanglement team, with support from ORRCA, after spending about 20 hours in distress within Sydney Harbour. Manly Observer caught up with the rescue crew as they hauled up on Little Manly Beach around lunchtime.
Interested to know more about the disentanglement team? Here’s our recent story on them.
The back story
At around 11.15am today (Friday 23 August), an expert team from the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) safely freed an entangled humpback whale in Sydney Harbour.
The whale was first sighted in Sydney Harbour at around 1:30pm yesterday, with a rope and a number of small white buoys trailing behind it.
NPWS dispatched its specially trained Large Whale Disentanglement Team, which found the whale and attempted to remove the rope and buoys. Due to the speed the whale was travelling, the team was unable to free it, and the operation had to be suspended overnight.
The whale was relocated in Sydney Harbour this morning, and NPWS and NSW Maritime established an exclusion zone to ensure the animal and the community were kept safe.
After several hours of delicate work, the NPWS Large Whale Disentanglement Team cut the whale free.
Crews continued to monitor the whale to ensure it was swimming freely. It was last spotted swimming east out of Sydney Harbour.
The discarded rope and buoys were retrieved and brought ashore. Their origin is not yet known.
NPWA Area Manager Ben Khan said the response involved a number of organisations, including NPWS Large Whale Disentanglement team, NSW Maritime, the Gamay Rangers, Port Authority of NSW and volunteers from the Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA).
The incredible task which was accomplished today could not have been done without the skill of workers and volunteers across several organisations who all worked together to achieve one goal, which was helping this humpback whale.
“Sadly, this will not be the last whale to become entangled, and there will likely be more whales spotted in Sydney Harbour as the warmer months approach.
“If you see an entangled whale, please contact NPWS on 1300 072 757 or the ORRCA Rescue Hotline on 02 9415 3333.
“We ask the public to please listen to the advice from NPWS, as well as NSW Maritime, Port Authority of NSW and ORRCA, to give rescue teams the best chance at freeing entangled whales.”
Each year, humpback whales undertake huge migrations, travelling up to 10,000 km from the Southern Ocean to breeding grounds in warmer climates.
As they travel through inshore Australian waters, they are susceptible to becoming entangled in fishing gear and other marine debris which can lead to fatigue, injury, and death.
Disentangling marine wildlife is a complicated and dangerous operation. It is not always successful and requires highly skilled and trained operators as well as the right conditions to safely approach the animal. As such, these efforts can often run over several days.
Previously
Update 23 August 10am: A juvenile humpback whale remains entangled in the harbour – it has just left Manly Cove and is returning to the area around Dobroyd Head. A specialised whale disentanglement team has used buoys to slow it down to hopefully cut the nets and set it free. Use this story link or the Manly Observer news app for updates.
Thursday 22 August: A juvenile humpback whale remains in distress and entangled in what is thought to be crab or lobster nets in Sydney Harbour toward North Head this evening.
Speaking with the team from ORRCA live on site tonight, the crew confirmed the whale was first spotted around 1.20pm by Fantasea Cruising.
They stayed with the whale until the National Parks (NPWS disentanglement team) arrived in three vessels. )
ORRCA have been monitoring via drone.
NPWS attached five large buoys to the rope to slow the whale down so it was easier to approach and cut free.
We understand the whale was highly distressed and too hard yo get close to and so the team removed the buoys and instead attached a tracker.
They will attempt another approach in the morning.
