Whale was ‘heavily entangled’ in fishing gear off Australia — then rescuers stepped in

A 26-foot humpback whale “heavily entangled” in fishing gear was rescued off the coast of Australia during a “complex” operation.

The whale was spotted Aug. 31 near Coffs Harbour — about 330 miles north of Sydney — dragging a knotted mass of rope and buoys, according to a news release from the Sea World Foundation.

After receiving a report of the whale, Sea World staffers quickly deployed to the area.

“This was one of those entanglements that we really didn’t want to rush,” Andy Mulville, a skipper, said in a video accompanying the release. “We wanted to make sure the whole job was complete, and the conditions were great, so we really took our time.”

They began by approaching the whale in a dinghy and attaching a large orange buoy to the entanglement.

The buoy “just slows the animal down and gives us a better understanding as to where that animal is,” Ben Markham, a marine mammal specialist, said in the video.

Afterward, the rescuers used specialized equipment to methodically remove the entanglement “cut by cut,” Markham said.

Within about an hour, the whale was swimming free, having only sustained superficial injuries, according to the release.

The detached entanglement — which was brought back to shore — included at least four buoys and dozens of feet of rope, according to the video.

Sea World didn’t state from where the entanglement came, only that it was commercial fishing equipment.

The rescue operation was aided by a drone team from the Organization for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia, a non-profit, and by volunteers fanned out “all up and down the coast,” Mulville said.

It’s just the latest of multiple humpback whale rescues to take place in recent months off the coast of Australia, which is part of the animals’ winter migration route.

Entanglements in fishing gear are just one of several threats facing the species, including vessel strikes and ocean noise, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

This story was originally published September 3, 2024 at 3:03 PM with the headline "Whale was ‘heavily entangled’ in fishing gear off Australia — then rescuers stepped in."