Race underway to save humpback whale entangled in nets in Sydney Harbour
- Humpback whale captured in Sydney Harbour
- Was seen entangled in a 50m long fish trap
A rescue operation is underway to free a young humpback whale after the animal became entangled in a fishing net.
A whale watching cruise first spotted the animal tangled in a rope and three buoys in open water off The Heads, near Sydney Harbour, at around 1.20pm on Thursday.
Wildlife rescue organisation OORCA was called in to assist the whale as it swam into harbour near Shark Island.
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Services sent a Large Whale Disentanglement Team to ‘locate and inspect the whale’.
“(The team) attached five floats to the whale in an attempt to slow it to a speed where the rope could be safely removed,” a NSW Parks spokesperson said.
Unfortunately, the baby whale was still moving too fast and the operation was suspended until Friday ‘due to incident light’.
“Before the operation was halted, the crew removed the five rafts and attached a satellite tracker to the rope,” the spokesman said.
‘The tracker helps monitor the whale’s position overnight, giving the team a better chance of locating the animal the next morning.
The rescue operation for a young humpback whale entangled in a fishing net in Sydney Harbour (pictured) continues on Friday
The rescue operation to free the whale from the 50-meter rope (pictured) will resume at first light on Friday
According to Ashley Ryan, chair of OORCA, the whale trapped in Sydney Harbour was behaving “a bit erratically”.
Ms Ryan said the animal had already returned to open water before it was last seen swimming into the harbour.
“Hopefully the conditions are favourable and the tracker will work and the whale will be freed early in the morning,” she said. Sydney Morning Herald defeated.
OORCA warned the public on Wednesday that three separate humpback whales had become entangled in nets while travelling between Newcastle and Tweed Heads.
“The behavior of entangled whales can be unpredictable and they can change direction,” OORCA wrote on Facebook.
‘That’s why we’re asking everyone who can spot these whales on the headlands between Newcastle and Tweed Heads to keep an eye out for them.’
One of those whales was spotted on Wednesday towing five buoys south past Newcastle.
The other two were spotted heading north towards Byron Bay, entangled in ropes and buoys.
More coming soon.
