Sea World Foundation collaborates on saving humpback whales off NSW Mid-North Coast

Sea World Foundation, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and ORRCA combined their expertise over the weekend to save two humpback whales which were heavily entangled in commercial fishing equipment in separate rescue operations at Coffs Harbour (Saturday) and Forster (Sunday) on the mid-north coast of NSW.

Rescue 1 – Coffs Harbour – Saturday 31st August 2024

On Saturday, Sea World travelled to Coffs Harbour to join NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and ORRCA to respond to a humpback whale which was heavily entangled in commercial fishing equipment off Emerald Beach at Coffs Harbour.

The complex rescue operation took just over an hour with the team using specialised equipment to attach a large buoy to the 8-metre whale to bring its tail to the surface before successfully cutting all the ropes and buoys from the whale. The team then monitored the whale for a short period before it continued its migration with only superficial injuries.  

Sea World Skipper, Andy Mulville said this is the seventh whale rescue operation the team have conducted this year and it was great to be able to help another whale continue on its migration.

"This was a complicated rescue operation with the whale having six rope wraps around the tail and fluke and the team at the front of the boat took their time to ensure they cut the correct ropes to ensure all the equipment was removed," he said.  

"These operations could not be conducted without the collaborative efforts of Sea World, NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service and ORRCA and it was great to work together to rescue this whale and watch it continue on its migration unimpacted."

Overview of rescue:

1. Initial report of the whale reported by ORRCA at around 10am.

2. Sea World team travelling back to Gold Coast from a research trip were at Yamba and turned around to head back south to meet up with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service team.

3. Rescue teams on the water at 11am and with help of ORRCA team located the whale off Emerald Beach.

4. On-board team complete visual inspection to identify entanglement was solely around the tail.

5. Team deploy large buoy to slow the whale down and bring the tail to surface to allow better access to cut.

6. Team commence strategically cutting the rope from base of tail back to fluke.

7. Team successfully cut all equipment from the whale within 90minutes.

Rescue 2 – Forster – Sunday 1st September 2024:

On Sunday, the Sea World Foundation team received reports of another humpback whale entangled in commercial fishing equipment between Crowdy Head and Forster, with the team travelling six hours south to join NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service to race out to meet the team from Forster Dive Centre (also an ORRCA volunteer) who were monitoring and staying with the 10-metre whale, who had several wraps of rope and buoys around its tail and stock.  

With the sun-setting and light fading the team initially deployed a telemetry buoy to allow for the whale to be tracked should they be unable to remove all the entanglement, however with precision cutting the team were able to successfully remove all the equipment in an operation which lasted just over ten minutes. Following the removal of the equipment, the whale continued on its migration with its companion animals with minimal injuries.  

Sea World Skipper, Andy Mulville said this was an incredible outcome given the team were racing the clock adding “the team did an amazing job given the circumstances and it was so fitting to get the final cuts and watch the whale swim freely into the sunset.

“We cannot thank Adam and the team at Forster Dive Centre who stayed with the whale all day while we were travelling, without their support we would not have found this whale and had the opportunity to free it from the entanglement.”

Overview of rescue:

1. Initial report of the whale reported by ORRCA at around 9am.

2. Sea World team leave Gold Coast at 10am to travel to Crowdy Head.

3. Sea World team join NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service team at Crowdy Head Boat Ramp at 4.45pm and race out the meet the Forster Dive Centre team.

4. Sea World team successfully cut the whale free at 5.40pm.

Images. Stills from Sea World Foundation videos of the rescues – top -Coffs Harbour and below, Forster.