Broome: Another humpback whale tangled off the coast freed after three-day rescue

Another humpback whale has been ensnared off the coast of Broome less than a week after a separate humpback whale was spotted tangled in a rope off Gantheaume Point.

The 11m whale was entangled in pearl lines off Quondong Point, 20km north of Broome, with a DBCA crew setting out on July 17 after a member of the public spotted the whale in trouble.

Confirming the whale had been freed on July 21, a Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions spokesperson said the rescue was complicated with DBCA crews working for three days to release the animal from multiple ropes and associated equipment.

“The rescue was a very complex operation, taking three days. Fortunately, collaboration with DPIRD and the local pearl farm over three days achieved a good result, with the whale cut free,” they said.

On Tuesday, the multi-vessel operation involving Parks and Wildlife Service personnel, DPIRD officers and staff from Willie Creek Pearls, faced difficult conditions including tides, strong winds and sharks but managed to cut several ropes before nightfall.

Returning on Wednesday, the team was able to free the animal and the whale swam away strongly, continuing its journey north.

A DBCA spokesperson confirmed the entanglement was separate from the whale entanglement reported off Gantheaume Point at the weekend.

The incident comes amid concerns raised by the DCBA in a report last year, which highlighted an increase in whales becoming entangled and tethered to the sea floor.

Broome is renowned worldwide as a premier tourist destination to witness humpback whales up close, boasting the largest population of the creatures anywhere in the world.

Each year, humpback whales embark on a migration from their feeding grounds in the Antarctic, along WA’s north coast, to the Kimberley region, where they mate and calf during the winter months.