Home » News » How Do Marine Rescuers Locate and Assist Humpback Whales

How Do Marine Rescuers Locate and Assist Humpback Whales

(Image Credit Google)
The world's longest mammal migration sees an estimated 40,000 humpback whales depart the icy waters of Antarctica each year. They journey to the tropics along Australia's east and west coastlines before returning with their calves a few months later. Additionally, the so-called "humpback highway," which runs from May to November, is a fascinating spectacle for the majority of Australians. But it also carries a nagging sense of unease for marine rescuers like Wayne Phillips and his staff at SeaWorld in Queensland. The demand for rescue is ongoing and increasing. He remarks, "We always seem to be out looking for whales."

How rescues operate

Teams heavily rely on public reports to predict a troublesome whale's movement and trajectory. If they discover it, a difficult and arduous task starts. Furthermore, rescuers must first essentially immobilize the massive creature before it anxiously races away. According to Susan Crocetti, a rescue specialist from New South Wales Parks and Wildlife, this ironically incorporates techniques that were first employed to kill whales.  Humpback Whales Moreover, before adding huge floats to whatever the whale gets caught in to slow it down and exhaust it, teams approach in a dinghy. After carefully planning which wires to cut when they attack the lines with a hooked knife on a long pole. On another note, shark nets have been blamed for killing whales, but rescuers claim that "ghost gear"—commercial fishing nets, lines, and even anchors that are lost or abandoned at sea—is the main killer. In addition, the entanglements can occasionally be hundreds of meters of rope wrapped around the whale in intricate layers, according to Ms. Crocetti.  Humpback Whales "And you need to cut it in the right order," she explained. "If you don't, you risk freeing the whale enough for it to dive or swim off - a potential disaster." According to Mr. Phillips, "Even the smallest amount of gear will slowly cut into the animal. So if we don't remove everything… it is a slow death and it's not a nice one." Also, Read- First AI-Powered Buoy to Track Ocean Ecosystems and Protect Whales

High-risk and deadly task

For the rescuers as well, the stakes are very high. In the previous 20 years, at least two persons died, most recently Canadian veteran Joe Howlett in 2017, who died just after successfully rescuing a whale.  Humpback Whales According to Ms. Crocetti, trapped whales are frequently severely hurt and "incredibly stressed out." She noted, "With one swish of a 20-30-tonne animal's tail - if you're in the wrong place - it can be catastrophic." Then there are the additional difficulties, like exhaustion, choppy seas, poor lighting, and occasionally even sharks. It's not a task for those who are inexperienced or weak-willed.  Humpback Whales Training includes swimming evaluations, safety equipment, and practice cutting lines while operating a boat on the water. SeaWorld uses Moby, a 600-kilogram fiberglass dummy whale for practice. Also, Read- World’s largest shipping line reroutes its vessels to protect whales "But it's still dangerous for anybody, no matter how much experience you have," Mr. Phillips says.  Humpback Whales Besides, the process can take several days. A whale was once trailed for months by Ms. Crocetti's crew over thousands of kilometers and two states. Moreover, despite being hindered by bad weather and constantly losing sight of the whale, they eventually succeeded in cutting the final entangling line. It was a high point in Ms. Crocetti's career, she says.

Growing issue

Last century, humpback whales were nearly exterminated by hunting. According to earlier official estimates, Australia's population off the east coast decreased to "a little over 100" by 1963. However, since whaling bans, local populations increased by the tens of thousands, according to experts. But, this also means that an increasing number of humpback whales are getting caught in the estimated 640,000 tonnes of ghost gear discarded into the oceans each year. And the majority of attempts at rescue don't succeed. For instance, Mr. Phillips' team reported 30 whales being caught in ghost gear the previous year. Unfortunately, they could only locate and assist two. Mr. Phillips declares, "We do our best. [But] it's disheartening when we don't get the job done." And moments like that can make the fight against commercial fishing waste seem insurmountable. But, Mr. Phillips is unable to envision himself in any other position.  Humpback Whales He describes it as a rollercoaster. "Sometimes you're excited, you think you're making progress, and then the next minute, you may have lost the whale. But it's quite exhilarating once we get the job finished… to see them swim off, free of any gear, is quite overwhelming."

By Monica Green

I am specialised in latest tech and tech discoveries.

RELATED NEWS

Officials report that over the past few days, 477 ...

news-extra-space

There is ample evidence of the human and material ...

news-extra-space
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10