Rescue crews along Australia's New South Wales coast faced an unusually intense weekend after multiple whales became entangled in fishing gear, including a humpback that was successfully freed near the Central Coast.
The rescue came during a difficult stretch that also included several other entanglement reports and the loss of a stranded melon-headed whale near Newcastle.
What happened?
ORRCA was mobilized after a passerby noticed the humpback dragging line near Forrester's Beach, between Terrigal and Bateau Bay, ABC News reported.
According to ORRCA spokesperson Pip Jacobs, the operation depended on a substantial rescue team and drone support.
"This was a really tricky one because the whale had a very compromised tail fluke because of the entanglement, so it wasn't lifting its tail out of the water," she said.
Jacobs said the Central Coast rescue happened amid what she called an "unprecedented" weekend.
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"We actually had five entanglements across the New South Wales coastline," she said, with other reports at Sussex Inlet, Cook Island, Merewether Beach, and an unconfirmed sighting at Lennox Head.
At the same time, ORRCA and national parks crews were also responding to a live stranding at Stockton Beach, where ABC News reported that a 5.9-foot (1.8-meter) melon-headed whale was later euthanized after it could not be saved.
Why does it matter?
With more humpbacks traveling past the coastline, encounters with fishing lines, drum lines, and marine debris are also becoming more common.
Rescue operations can quickly stretch volunteers, wildlife experts, and public agencies thin, especially when several emergencies happen at once.
Jacobs said, "A lot of ORRCA and national parks teams were actually at a live stranding on Stockton Beach at the time, so resources were really stretched."
"Last year, we responded to 28 entanglements on our coastline … but we've had 24 so far to date, and we're only in July," Jacobs said.
What's being done?
During the Central Coast operation, drones were used to follow the whale and assist crews as they removed the entangling gear.
Members of the public were important in both episodes: a passerby first noticed the Forrester's Beach humpback, and locals were also instrumental in the Stockton Beach response.
Stockton resident Darius Malisauskas told 1233 ABC Newcastle Breakfast, "It was breathing every eight to 15 seconds … I slowly dragged it into the water and kept its blowhole above the waterline."
Malisauskas said ORRCA guided the effort remotely while locals stayed with the distressed animal.
"While we were in the water, ORRCA rang and gave us step-by-step instructions on what to do," he said.
"It was quite sad; I was hoping it'd be a better outcome," Malisauskas said.
Jacobs added that more whales are "being reported more frequently to us, which obviously is fantastic in that it gives us the opportunity to try and get help to that animal."
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