Rescuers Save Distressed 36-Foot Humpback Whale Entangled in Fishing Gear

A massive humpback whale that found itself tangled up in fishing equipment has been successfully released back into the deep.

The 36-foot-long whale was found on Monday in the waters off Quondong Point in Western Australia, around 12 miles north of the town of Broome. The whale's fins had become wrapped around the lines of a local pearl fishery.

Local authorities, including the Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), and staff from Willie Creek Pearls rushed to its aid, battling strong winds and lurking predators to save the whale over the course of three days.

"DBCA's Kimberley Parks and Wildlife Service team successfully freed a humpback whale this week," Parks and Wildlife Service, Western Australia posted on Facebook, sharing a video of the success.

"A DBCA crew set out on Monday after a member of the public spotted the whale in trouble.

The operation was complicated by the extent of the entanglement which included multiple ropes and associated equipment," it said. "The multi-vessel operation, involving Parks and Wildlife Service personnel, DPIRD officers and staff from Willie Creek Pearls, continued on Tuesday with the team facing difficult conditions including tides, strong winds and sharks."

Humpback whales are a large species that can grow up to 50 feet long. These whales were heavily hunted before the global whaling moratorium in the 1980s, depleting their population significantly. In the years since, they have risen to around 84,000 individuals worldwide, but they are still threatened by a number of factors, including vessel strikes, and entanglement in fishing gear.

Entanglement in fishing gear, as well as accidental ingestion of the gear, is a major threat to whales and other marine animals. One 2021 study by the University of St Andrews in the U.K. found that around 300,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises die from fishing gear injuries worldwide each year.

"Fishing gear is known to be a threat to many species, both from ingestion and also when the animal is entangled in gear externally. For some critically endangered [species], entanglements in fishing gear pose a serious issue for their recovery," Tonya Wimmer, executive director of the Marine Animal Response Society (MARS) in Canada, told previously told Newsweek.

The whale's release was complicated, as it was quite severely tangled, and the conditions were rough and windy, with sharks lurking nearby.

"It had a number of wraps around its tail and the involvement of floats and pearl frames and other bits and pieces, so it was quite a complicated entanglement," Lyle Gilbert from the Wildlife District Office, told local news ABC Australia.

Eventually, on Wednesday, the whale was freed.

"Several ropes were cut but the team ran out of daylight," the Facebook post said. "Returning on Wednesday, the team was able to free the animal and the whale swam away strongly, continuing its journey north."

Another whale was found entangled at Gantheaume Point, Broome, at the weekend, but it was a different individual.

"Thanks to everyone involved in this rescue effort, including the invaluable assistance provided by DPIRD and Willie Creek Pearls," the post said.

Gilbert urged anyone who sights an entangled or trapped whale to contact the DBCA, despite it being a relatively rare occurrence.

"We have a team ready to go," he said. "If it does happen again we'll be able to respond appropriately and hopefully have a successful outcome like we did this time."

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