Animal rescue crews swung into action when a humpback whale was reported entangled in ropes off Killcare on Monday, June 23.
Marine Mammal Specialist for Marine Wildlife Rescue Central Coast Ronny Ling said the alert came through at about 9.30am, with the whale then moving around towards Umina and Pearl Beach and into the mouth of the Hawkesbury River.
“National Parks and Wildlife (NPWS) was notified and put together its whale disentanglement team from the northern beaches, together with Central Coast teams,” Ling said.
“The whale had ropes wrapped around its pectoral fin and its tail.
“The crews first disentangled the pec fins and later in the day were able to remove the rest of the entanglement off Palm Beach.”
Ling said disentangling whales was no easy task.
“Entangled whales are often very stressed and can also be full of energy,” he said.
“It can be very dangerous work.
“Humpbacks weigh up to 45 tonnes so when they’re not happy, that’s a lot of whale swishing around in the water.
“And of course, as with all wild animals, they are unpredictable.
“Often, you need to attach a series of floats to stop the whale from diving and keep an eye on it until it tires before disentanglement can begin.”
Ling said when rough seas made rescue missions too difficult, teams often attached telemetry buoys to the animal to track it into calmer waters.
He said the whale population was growing by more than 10% each year, with about 45,000 expected off the Coast in coming weeks.
“With increasing numbers of whales and more boat traffic we are seeing more and more entangled whales each year,” he said.
“NPWS is often assisted by Marine Rescue and local teams in freeing these animals.”
Ling said whales had been decimated by humans in the past.
“We owe it to these animals to help them as much as we can,” he said.
If you see any marine life – including whales, dolphins, turtles and pelicans – in distress please alert the marine life rescue team on the 24-hour hotline: 0478 439 965.
