A strong reminder to look after the Oceans’ health
Monday was a very emotional day – a day that reminded us and our tour guests of the importance of looking after our Oceans’ health. It was a prime example of the impact that humans have on the marine environment.
We spotted two Humpback Whales that appeared to be very inquisitive at first. They approached us, spy hopped and rolled over, right next to our vessel. We soon realised that they were literally ‘asking’ for help.
One of the whales was entangled in commercial fishing gear. A very long rope of a Lobster / Fish trap had been caught across the mouth of the Whale. We managed to film the slow moving animal with the long rope trailing from its jaw. Watch the clip to the end to see how long that rope was!
Entangled HumpBack Whale from Wild Ocean Tas on Vimeo.
With the Tasmanian Lobster season currently closed, it’s likely that this animal has travel hundreds of kilometres like this. Minimal tail movement is a sure sign that the animal is exhausted. Not only does it restrict feeding ability, but also creates stress and anxiety and possibly a slow and painful death..
We closely collaborate with the crew of the Marine Conservation Program of the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and the Environment in Tasmania (DPIPWE) and called up while we were tracking the two Humpbacks in the hope they can send a vessel and rescue team out to free the entangled whale from the rope. DPIPWE has specialist equipment and staff trained in internationally recognised techniques for undertaking Whale disentanglement operations, but unfortunately they were already further up the coast to look for another entangled Whale near Binalong Bay.
As a tour operator we have a public liability to our guests on board and are not permitted to closely approach entangled Whales as they are large powerful animals and present a significant safety risk. It was frustrating that we couldn’t do anything to help. All we could do was to head out the following day without guests on board to search for the entangled Whale, but unfortunately it must have moved on over night. Hopefully it manages to rid itself of this entanglement soon!
Surprise Dwarf Minke Whale
The Ocean held a surprise for us when we headed back up the coast after having had a snorkel with the Seals. We spotted a single, grey dorsal fin that disappeared quickly. The animal also left a boil on the water surface. It must have been a small whale! So we waited patiently until we saw it pop up again. It turned out being an inquisitive Dwarf Minke Whale.
The last time we’ve seen a Dwarf Minke Whale on our tour was early December 2017. So it’s been 10 months! They’re super rare to see inshore in Tassie, but a joy to be with. 🙂 Like last time we saw one, this Dwarf Minke Whale playfully circled or boat, approached us from the side, swam down and came back up on the other side – a bit like playing hide & seek.
Tasmania’s south-east coast attracts many different types of Whales at this time of year. Although we cannot guarantee to see whales on every single tour, we do love Whales and bend over backwards to try and find them. 🙂
If you would like to jump on board and spend a day on the water with us, check out our tour options and book online or call / text us to reserve your seats!