Distressed humpback rescued from fish farm ropes in B.C.
Digital Reporter
Wednesday, September 14, 2016, 3:18 PM - A juvenile humpback was rescued by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) officials in waters north of Klemtu, B.C., after the whale was found Monday morning by Marine Harvest workers entangled in ropes from one of their empty aquaculture sites.
The whale had multiple abrasions and was struggling to breathe as anchors and weights were pulling the mammal down. As a result, the DFO was contacted immediately to assess the situation, according to a Marine Harvest press release.
Marine mammal coordinator Paul Cottrell was sent from Vancouver to assist with the rescue. Local fisheries officers and members from the Kitasoo First Nation also helped.
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"This animal was definitely in major distress, and just with the ropes, the tight tension, that were wrapping around the animal and seeing the skin and the abrasions and the bleeding, it was awful to see," Cottrell told CTV. "This animal definitely couldn't have survived too long under that kind of tension."
At least four ropes were cut to free the 10-metre-long young whale. Witnesses also noticed a collection of marine debris near the humpback's fluke.
Warning: This article contains graphic images.
Members from Kitasoo Nation and DFO rescue humpback whale tangled in ropes near Klemtu https://t.co/Ewizf5unk3 pic.twitter.com/xyBJSxFVHs
— Guardian Watchmen (@coastalGW) September 14, 2016
The process took about 12 hours with specialized tools and a drone was also utilized to get a closer look at what ropes needed to be cut.
"This is the first time this has ever happened to us," Marine Harvest spokesperson Ian Roberts told CTV. "So we'll review the situation and see how our anchor lines may have contributed to this event, and if we need to make changes to our farms, we'll make them across all our farms if that's needed."
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While the whale sustained injuries, experts say it will eventually recover. The DFO will continue to monitor the mammal's health over the next several weeks as they believe the humpback will stay in the general area for the foreseeable future as it recovers.
About 47 per cent of humpbacks have been entangled at least once before in B.C. waters, CTV reports.
Anyone who sees a marine mammal in distress is asked to not engage with it. Instead, call the marine mammal incident reporting hotline at 1-800-465-4336.
SOURCE: CTV | Marine Harvest
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