Members of DFO91裸聊视频檚 Marine Mammal Rescue are chalking up an incident this week as a win even though they didn91裸聊视频檛 quite make it to the scene.
Paul Cottrell, fisheries biologist and coordinator for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans91裸聊视频� Marine Mammal Rescue, and his team members responded Sunday at about 5 p.m. after they received a call to help free a juvenile killer whale entangled in the line of a prawn trap just off Rocky Point in north Nanaimo.
The young whale dragged the line and trap for about 600 metres and was struggling to free itself.
Boaters nearby called the DFO whale rescue unit and stayed back and observed until help arrived.
91裸聊视频淲hat happened initially was the big killer whales were foraging and consuming and tenderizing a harbour seal right where the buoy [for the trap line] is and near the end of the kill, unfortunately one of the juvenile killer whales got caught up in the rope there,91裸聊视频� Cottrell said.
The orca managed to get itself untangled shortly after the DFO team left the dock to respond.
91裸聊视频淭hey don91裸聊视频檛 always get out themselves,91裸聊视频� Cottrell said. 91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檝e been involved in quite a few rescues over the years 91裸聊视频� where animals were stuck.91裸聊视频�
Cottrell said no two entanglements are alike. Depending on the whale91裸聊视频檚 struggles, trap lines can wrap around their tails multiple times or become caught up in the animal91裸聊视频檚 mouth, pectoral fins and tail so the whale becomes effectively hog-tied and unable to move. If a whale can91裸聊视频檛 get to the water91裸聊视频檚 surface it can drown.
Some animals get tangled up more often than others.
91裸聊视频淚 think they91裸聊视频檙e very aware of their surroundings, killer whales, but I think it91裸聊视频檚 often curiosity too,91裸聊视频� Cottrell said. 91裸聊视频淭here are a couple of animals that are renowned for interacting with ropes and floats and lines 91裸聊视频� One of the animals we rescued a number of [times] was an animal that has a bad habit of doing that and 91裸聊视频� every year, this one particular animal we get three or four calls 91裸聊视频� he91裸聊视频檚 quite a character.91裸聊视频�
Because of their smaller size, orcas don91裸聊视频檛 have the stamina of whales with greater body mass that can actually drag fishing gear for very long distances, sometimes for months, so it91裸聊视频檚 important that help comes quickly.
91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e basically a kind of SWAT team, ready to respond at any time,91裸聊视频� Cottrell said. 91裸聊视频淚 have kit with me all the time because it91裸聊视频檚 a priority in my job to be able to respond to entangle animals, so it91裸聊视频檚 kind of cool and I love it.91裸聊视频�
READ ALSO:
Research is being conducted in Canada and the U.S. to design rope-less fishing gear or release mechanisms to prevent entanglement, but there are ways to help avoid it which include using tether lines that sink to the ocean bottom or lines that limit slack for a whale to wrap itself up in.
91裸聊视频淚f you have too much loose line an animal can easily get wrapped around there and they91裸聊视频檒l interact with the line, maybe deep where they don91裸聊视频檛 see it and if they panic and roll, they get it around their tail stock and they91裸聊视频檙e screwed,91裸聊视频� Cottrell said.
He said the people who called his team for help did the right thing by staying back from the whales and observing until help arrived.
91裸聊视频淵ou really have to be careful when you come on scene to really assess before you start cutting, because if you make the wrong cut you can actually make things worse for the animal,91裸聊视频� he said.
Anyone who spots a whale stranded on the shore, entangled in fishing gear or otherwise in distress is asked to report the incident immediately to the 24-hour DFO marine mammal incident hotline at 1-800-465-4336.
photos@nanaimobulletin.com
Like us on and follow us on
