After a three-day saga, Saturday morning, Tutu (BCY1473) the humpback whale was freed from the remaining fishing gear, with teams involved calling it a rare success story for the young whale.
The whale, identified as four-year-old male named Tutu was described by rescuers as highly energetic throughout the past three days, as they worked to remove roughly 500 feet of gear.
“It’s one of the most mobile, energetic whales. They’re all energetic but this is animal was just non-stop. The difficulty of getting that final wrap off the animal – we’re pretty experienced so we know you can’t rush this – unbelievable experience – so grateful to be able to do what we do,” says Paul Cottrell, DFO whale rescue team leader.
The whale’s path
Thursday
Off-duty coast guard employees on a personal sailboat make the first call to the DFO, after a whale tangled in gear swims past the sailboat, towing a buoy off Texada Island.
“The animal was very mobile – had a lot of gear – but still very mobile,” says Cottrell.
“It was travelling south and shortly after, it did a U-turn towards Comox.”
About two to three hours later, Cottrell says the whale was then seen near Black Creek and reported by three recreational boaters.
“They stuck around to keep an eye on it from a safe distance,” he says.
While keeping an eye on the whale, fishery officers from Campbell River were able to arrive and place a satellite tag on the trailing gear.
The DFO continued to track the whale using a satellite tag overnight to continue entanglement rescue efforts the following day (Paul Cottrell).
Shortly after, Cottrell’s DFO rescue team was able to start working Thursday afternoon.
“We worked until late at night, removing more than 350 feet of gear,” he says.
In the end, the gear that entangled the whale included more than 500 feet of rope, a buoy, two recreational prawn traps and a five to eight-pound weight.
As it was getting dark, the team placed the tag back on Tutu and headed off the water for the day.
Overnight, Tutu swam further than expected.
Friday morning
“We left the whale north of Chatham Point, closer to Sayward Thursday night,” says Cottrell, adding that by Friday morning, the whale was seen in the Southern Johnson Strait, near Robson Bite.
The DFO team had two vessels and zipped up to that area.
“It was still very mobile and hard to track,” says Cottrell. The team worked all day Friday, using drones to see if the gear was loosening and for safety.
“It helped know if we had to disengage,” he explains.
After removing another approximately 80 feet of gear, darkness set in again and the team placed the sat tag back on Tutu, leaving the final piece for Saturday morning.
“The gear gear was loosening which was good,” he says. “Friday – we had both ends of the gear so we worked up both ends and put the sat tag on one end.”
Tutu was left in Port McNeill Friday night.
Saturday morning
Saturday morning, Tutu was tag-spotted in the Blackfish Sound area and the remaining gear was removed.
Overall, Cottrell says it was an “unbelievable experience” that doesn’t always work out this way. He also commented on how energetic and mobile Tutu was.
“We had to work with BC Ferries as the animal was moving…it was agitated and there’s a lot of reef…he was hitting shallow water, losing its sense of direction. McNeill Bay is very shallow and then it stopped for a while, letting us work on removing more gear.”
Impacts of entanglement
“There was some wounds on the fluke from the rope,” says Cottrell.
After investigating further, they estimate that the gear had been on Tutu for just over a week.
“He’s a very energetic animal,” he says, adding that they’re hoping for a successful outcome.
The team is also hoping for no more entanglements, as this is the fourth rescue in the past week and a half.
“What’s going on is we’ve never had so many humpbacks inshore waters so it’s great but we’re also seeing more interactions with gear in the water.”
“It’s great to see them back in our waters.”
The team has been spending roughly 18 hours a day on the water to complete the rescue and Cottrell says he’ll be happy to sleep in Sunday morning.
“We drove the boat down from Campbell River…it’s been a long one, but so rewarding. It’s a great crew,” adds.
To report a whale entanglement, call the DFO’s 24-hour hotline at 1-800-465-4336.
READ: Humpback whale freed from 300 feet of fishing line near Texada Island, the rest to be removed Friday