Entangled whale in Sydney Harbour finally freed after exhaustive rescue mission
The humpback whale was finally set free on Friday morning, and authorities are continuing to monitor the mammal to ensure it is swimming free.
Wildlife crews have finally freed the whale that was trapped in fishing nets in Sydney Harbour, after a desperate and hours-long rescue mission that took place in the iconic waterway on Friday morning.
The humpback, believed to be a juvenile, is now swimming free after crews freed it near Bradleys Head, on the city's Lower North Shore, the NSW department of environment said.
"At around 11.15am, an expert team was able to free an entangled humpback whale in Sydney Harbour," it said in a media statement. "Crews are now monitoring the whale to ensure it is swimming freely."
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) offered thanks to all involved in the process, including the members of the NPWS Large Whale Disentanglement team, NSW Maritime, Port Authority of NSW and volunteers from the Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA).
An exclusion zone was earlier in place as the animal was cut free from the nets, which were believed to have become completely entangled its tail.
The animal was fitted with a tracking device on Thursday before rescue efforts were paused for the day, however it was dislodged after just an hour, making the search this morning extremely difficult.
Crews were seen on Friday scouring the harbour for the whale, after it was initially located off Shark Island in the east, near Rose Bay, yesterday. Authorities earlier feared it might've swam out of the harbour overnight and worried it could have gone as far south as Wollongong. They said there's no way it could free itself from the netting on its own.
Public urged to contact officials should they spot entangled whale
Members of the public have been told not to approach the whale on their own.
Volunteers from marine mammal rescue group ORRCA were first alerted to the distressing scene after the animal was spotted at about 1.30pm on Thursday.
It’s understood the net became stuck on a hook possibly attached to the whale’s pectoral fin. However, the rescue mission was suspended on Thursday due to failing light.
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Urgent warning to anglers after animals 'trapped' in abandoned fishing net
It comes as ORRCA called on residents to help find three separate humpback whales spotted across the state. The animals are frequently reported caught in both fishing gear and shark nets. Wildlife rescuers have repeated pleas to governments to abandon shark nets altogether along the nation's coast.
Multiple whales wrapped in netting across state
The first entangled whale was spotted travelling north towards Byron Bay dragging a rope. The second was seen with a rope and orange buoys around its head and was possibly travelling north in the direction of the Evans Head area.
The third whale had been observed with rope and five buoys trailing behind it travelling south from Seal Rocks. "The behaviour of entangled whales can be unpredictable and they can change directions of travel," ORRCA stated on social media.
"As such we are asking for anyone who can get out on headlands between Newcastle and Tweed Heads to please keep a lookout for these whales."
With NCA Newswire
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