Humpback whale freed by Wildlife Services after becoming entangled in fishing rope off Geraldton coast

A team from Geraldton Parks and Wildlife Service and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions have successfully freed an entangled humpback whale from rope off the city’s coast. A local fisher called in the distressed seven-metre-long whale at around 8.30am on Monday, which had become entangled in fishing rope about three nautical miles south-west of Geraldton. The fisher stayed with the whale until crews arrived who found the animal exhausted and not moving, tethered to the bottom of the ocean with rope wrapped tightly around it’s tail. Another juvenile whale swam close by, hindering rescue efforts that took wildlife services half a day to complete. Once freed, crews monitored the whale for an hour to confirm it had not suffered any lasting damage and both whales swam off to finish their northward migration. In a video posted to social media on the rescue, senior operations officer Steve Moore said, “It’s a very rewarding feeling when you finally make that final cut and see the whale go free.” This is the first successful disentanglement operation of the annual migration season. Parks and Wildlife Service urge anyone who comes across an entangled whale to call the Wildlife Helpline immediately on 9474 9055.