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The DFO continued to track the whale using a satellite tag overnight to continue entanglement rescue efforts the following day (Paul Cottrell).<\/p>\nAfter 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s one of the most mobile, energetic whales. They\u2019re all energetic but this is animal was just non-stop. The difficulty of getting that final wrap off the animal \u2013 we\u2019re pretty experienced so we know you can\u2019t rush this \u2013 unbelievable experience \u2013 so grateful to be able to do what we do,\u201d says Paul Cottrell, DFO whale rescue team leader.<\/p>\n
The whale\u2019s path<\/p>\n
Thursday <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe animal was very mobile \u2013 had a lot of gear \u2013 but still very mobile,\u201d says Cottrell.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was travelling south and shortly after, it did a U-turn towards Comox.\u201d <\/p>\n
About two to three hours later, Cottrell says the whale was then seen near Black Creek and reported by three recreational boaters. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey stuck around to keep an eye on it from a safe distance,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The DFO continued to track the whale using a satellite tag overnight to continue entanglement rescue efforts the following day (Paul Cottrell).<\/p>\n
Shortly after, Cottrell\u2019s DFO rescue team was able to start working Thursday afternoon.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe worked until late at night, removing more than 350 feet of gear,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
As it was getting dark, the team placed the tag back on Tutu and headed off the water for the day.<\/p>\n
Overnight, Tutu swam further than expected.<\/p>\n
Friday morning<\/p>\n
\u201cWe left the whale north of Chatham Point, closer to Sayward Thursday night,\u201d says Cottrell, adding that by Friday morning, the whale was seen in the Southern Johnson Strait, near Robson Bite. <\/p>\n
The DFO team had two vessels and zipped up to that area. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was still very mobile and hard to track,\u201d says Cottrell. The team worked all day Friday, using drones to see if the gear was loosening and for safety. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt helped know if we had to disengage,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe gear gear was loosening which was good,\u201d he says. \u201cFriday \u2013 we had both ends of the gear so we worked up both ends and put the sat tag on one end.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tutu was left in Port McNeill Friday night.<\/p>\n
Saturday morning<\/p>\n
Saturday morning, Tutu was tag-spotted in the Blackfish Sound area and the remaining gear was removed. <\/p>\n
Overall, Cottrell says it was an \u201cunbelievable experience\u201d that doesn\u2019t always work out this way. He also commented on how energetic and mobile Tutu was.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had to work with BC Ferries as the animal was moving\u2026it was agitated and there\u2019s a lot of reef\u2026he 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Impacts of entanglement<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was some wounds on the fluke from the rope,\u201d says Cottrell. <\/p>\n
After investigating further, they estimate that the gear had been on Tutu for just over a week.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a very energetic animal,\u201d he says, adding that they\u2019re hoping for a successful outcome. <\/p>\n
The team is also hoping for no more entanglements, as this is the fourth rescue in the past week and a half. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s going on is we\u2019ve never had so many humpbacks inshore waters so it\u2019s great but we\u2019re also seeing more interactions with gear in the water.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s great to see them back in our waters.\u201d<\/p>\n
The team has been spending roughly 18 hours a day on the water to complete the rescue and Cottrell says he\u2019ll be happy to sleep in Sunday morning. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe drove the boat down from Campbell River\u2026it\u2019s been a long one, but so rewarding. It\u2019s a great crew,\u201d adds. <\/p>\n
To report a whale entanglement, call the DFO\u2019s 24-hour hotline at 1-800-465-4336.<\/p>\n