Joint effort frees whale caught in line

Otago Daily Times

15-06-2025

A young humpback whale entangled in ropes and in "immediate danger" off the coast of a small fishing village north of Dunedin has been freed.
A co-ordinated effort between the Department of Conservation's expert whale disentanglement team, a local fishing crew and mana whenua freed the juvenile to sub-adult whale yesterday about 10.45am, off the coast near Moeraki.
Doc coastal Otago operations manager Gabe Davies said the whale, believed to up to 9m long, was in immediate danger as it was caught in a 12mm braided cray-pot line with a single float.
Doc made the decision to work with a local fishing crew already on-site.
"We're incredibly grateful to the local crew for their calm response and skilled handling of a difficult situation," Mr Davies said.
"This outcome shows what's possible when people on the water act calmly and responsibly."
Mr Davies said the response highlighted the value of strong local relationships.
"Working closely with Te Rūnaka o Moeraki and experienced fishers made all the difference. Everyone had a shared goal — to help this animal get free safely.'
Doc disentanglement team leader Dr Cat Peters said no-one could be blamed for the incident.
"They [humpbacks] tend to be a bit like the puppies of the sea; they'll play with things or swim close to things as they're making their way up our coast.
"Once they get one bit of entanglement on them, they tend to panic and that just worsens the entanglement."
Entanglements were more frequent at this time of year when whales migrated north to breeding grounds in warmer waters and in September when they returned.
She said it was important to save the entangled whales: "Every whale counts."
The team was involved in up to 20 entanglements a year. The hardest part of the job was finding the whales after they were entangled, she said.
Doc was aware of another sighting from Friday. There might still be a second entangled whale off the coast of the Chrystalls Beach-Bull Creek area, east of Milton.
It was also possible the whale freed at Moeraki had remnants of cray line still attached.
Doc's expert disentanglement team remained on stand-by. What to do
If you spot a whale that appears entangled or in distress —
— Call 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468) immediately.
— Note the location, time and description.
— Stay well clear. Do not approach or attempt to intervene.
— More information on whale entanglement and how to help can be found at: doc.govt.nz/whale-entanglement.