Entangled whale may not be spotted again

THE Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) has lost track of a southern right whale entangled in rope spotted near Apollo Bay last week, and says the animal may not be found again.

The sub-adult whale was first spotted off Marengo on Monday afternoon, but DELWP – which was leading the response – called off the search on Friday due to deteriorating weather conditions.

Incident controller Nikki Sigmund said the cold front moving in on Friday evening and continuing over the weekend made conditions unsafe for crews to continue the air search.

“Operations have had to cease, due to significantly deteriorating weather conditions impacting visibility and posing safety risks to our staff.

“We rely heavily on the weather conditions due to the nature of our search methods. When thunderstorms, hail and showers are predicted, we have to act accordingly.

“An air search is the most effective way to locate a whale, and visibility will be too poor to send a plane up.

“An aircraft was launched again this morning (Friday) in the hope of locating the entangled whale but didn’t sight it.

“The aircraft crews flew to Mallacoota in east Gippsland this morning and continued back along the coast through the afternoon.”

She said multiple whales were spotted during the flight, all swimming in a migratory direction.

“Given the season is drawing to a close, the entangled whale could be heading south and unfortunately may not be seen again.

“Our interstate colleagues and Victorian whale watching network are going to stay on alert, in case there are any sightings over the weekend.

“We encourage members of the public to continue sending through photos and locations of whales, as they greatly assist our ability to assess the whale and entanglement, and options to re-activate our response.”

Members of the public can report whales that appear injured or in distress to the Whale and Dolphin Hotline on 1300 136 017.