Trapped humpback whale freed from nets in WA’s Kimberley coast

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Rescuers have told of their joy after freeing an 11-metre humpback whale stuck in pearl nets off WA's Kimberley coast. It's the second entangled whale to be spotted in a week, and the Parks and Wildlife Service is now investigating to understand why the animals might be getting stuck.

Transcript

00:00 Distressed, tired and unable to swim free.

00:09 On Monday, rescuers rushed to help the 11 metre long humpback whale 20 kilometres north

00:15 of Broome.

00:16 When we got there we found the whale was really severely entangled.

00:18 The animal was first spotted by a member of the public struggling in nets owned by Willey

00:23 Creek Pearls.

00:24 It had a number of wraps around the tail and it was tied up with floats and pearl frames

00:29 and ropes and it was a really, really quite a nasty and complex entanglement.

00:34 Battling sharks, strong tides and winds, state government workers and staff from the Pearl

00:39 Farm used special equipment to set the whale free.

00:42 The first thing we attach is a grapple hook to the line which is trailing from behind

00:46 the whale.

00:47 I think it's remarkable when people go out to the ocean and it's a real demonstration

00:53 of humanity trying to save a humpback whale which was caught up in I believe some sort

00:58 of net.

00:59 It's the second entangled whale to be spotted off the coast near Broome in the last seven

01:04 days.

01:05 Another was spotted here at Gampian Point on Saturday but it hasn't been seen since.

01:10 Authorities are now trying to work out what's going on.

01:13 After an incident like this there will be an investigation to see what happened and

01:17 to see if we can learn anything that can change the way things operate to avoid it in the

01:22 future.

01:23 The whale near Broome was finally set free on Wednesday afternoon.

01:26 I think there was a lot of relief and happy people and a few high fives going around when

01:31 it swam away.

01:32 Free to head back out to sea.

01:34 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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