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Two humpback whales, a mother and a newborn calf, were released alive from the shark nets at Rocky Bay, Park Rynie, this morning (Thursday 24 June).
Just after 07h00 a KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board (KZNSB) boat was servicing the shark nets at Scottburgh when the skipper received a call from a commercial fisherman to say that the whales were in the Rocky Bay nets. On arriving at Rocky Bay a few minutes later the KZNSB staff found commercial fishermen on site, attempting to disentangle the whales. The KZNSB and the fishermen were jointly able to free both animals. A crew member on one of the boats said that he thought he had seen a second calf and that it was dead but a search of the area did not reveal any sign of a second calf.
The local humpback whale population is estimated to be growing at between 8% and 10% per year and hence the potential for whale entanglement in shark nets and other fishing gear has increased. The KZNSB, as a member of the South African Whale Disentanglement Network (SAWDN), has been appointed by the government to release entangled whales and has specially trained and equipped teams for this task. On first receiving the report of the entangled whales at Rocky Bay one of these teams was dispatched but was recalled because the animals were released prior to its arrival.
The KZNSB acknowledges and appreciates the assistance of the fishermen in the above release. The KZNSB would like to caution strongly, however, against members of the public entering the water under such circumstances. The danger of drowning or sustaining serious injury is high and a rescuer has lost his life elsewhere in the world.
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