a Whale Trapped was Rescued by the NSRI
The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) and the South African Whale Disentanglement Network (SAWDN) praised the local coast watchers and whale-watching boats for their vigilance and assistance in freeing a whale trapped in a fishing line off the coast of Hermanus.
On Friday, June 28, James Janse van Rensburg, the NSRI Hermanus deputy station commander, reported that SAWDN was alerted to a distressed whale entangled in a fishing line in Walker Bay. The local whale charter vessel, Miroscha, monitored the whale safely and maintained its coordinates.
Janse van Rensburg explained that the whale had fishing line wrapped around its tail. The NSRI rescue craft, Rescue 17 Alpha Leonard Smith, and trained SAWDN NSRI crew equipped with specialized cutting tools, headed to the whale’s location. They thanked the Miroscha crew, who then continued their voyage.
“We discovered a juvenile Southern Right whale, measuring 8 to 9 meters in length, entangled in tuna monofilament long line around its tail, flukes, and caudal peduncle,” said Janse van Rensburg. “The line had embedded in its flesh, making it urgent to cut it free.”
The crew carefully approached the whale and used specialized cutting equipment to remove most of the line. Unfortunately, the line had been embedded for some time, causing significant damage to the cutting tools.
“It is unclear whether the tuna monofilament long line is local or foreign. This will be investigated with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and Environment,” he added.
After being freed from most of the fishing line, the whale dived and was not seen again, despite the crew’s search efforts. Later, the local whale charter vessel Umnati informed them of the whale’s location. The NSRI and SAWDN crew set off again.
“We found the whale moving more freely but still entangled in the long line around its tail, flukes, and caudal peduncle,” Janse van Rensburg reported. “We managed to cut away at least 90% of the remaining line.”
All recovered line was disposed of properly. The whale was spotted again off Sandbaai and later near Gansbaai. Rough sea conditions hampered efforts to remove the remaining line.
Mike Meyer of SAWDN stated, “The remaining line appears loose, and the whale is moving freely. We are monitoring the situation to see if we can remove the last bit of line.”
The NSRI and SAWDN commended the local community and whale-watching boats for their assistance and vigilance.
Established in 2006, the South African Whale Disentanglement Network (SAWDN) uses specialized equipment to manage entangled whales. It comprises trained volunteers from various departments and organizations, including the NSRI, Telkom Maritime Radio Services, Cape Nature, the Mammal Research Institute, the Department of Environment Forestry and Fisheries, Bayworld, and various whale-watching and shark cage diving operators. SAWDN operates along the South African coastline.
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