Sea World Foundation Saves Entangled Whale in Moreton Bay

In a delicate operation, the Sea World Foundation rescue team saved an an 8-metre humpback whale which was entangled in commercial fishing apparatus (ropes, line and buoys) in Moreton Bay.

The team received a call mid-morning from Sealink, the North Stradbroke Island ferry operators who spotted the whale towing a buoy and in distress during their tours.

Upon receiving the call, the rescue team loaded primary whale disentanglement vessel, Sea World Two with the necessary equipment and raced the two-hour boat trip from Sea World to Moreton Bay to meet up with Queensland National Parks & Wildlife rangers to search for the whale, who was still mobile.

Working with Queensland Parks and Wildlife Rangers, Rangers from Minjerribah and the Volunteer Marine Rescue, the teams located the whale off Dunwich in the Southern part of Moreton Bay and commenced the disentanglement process in windy and choppy conditions.

The ropes, buoy and line were primarily entangled around the whale’s tail, and the team’s first strategy was to connect to the trailing line and pull themselves up to the whale to get a closer look at the entanglement and develop a plan on the best lines to cut to free the animal.

Using specialised equipment, the team strategically cut away at the rope making targeted approaches before making the final cuts to remove all of the equipment off after 20minutes.

The team then monitored the whale for a while before leaving it to continue its migration with only superficial wounds from the entanglement.

Sea World Foundation Head of Marine Sciences, Wayne Phillips said he was proud of the team who did an amazing job to release the whale as quick and as safe as they could.

“It was a real privilege to be out there today to help this young whale, it was a feeling of elation when we got the final cuts and watched the whale swim off without any gear on it,” he said.

“This is our third rescue of the year and second mobile disentanglement, and with more expected to be travelling up the coast with gear on them, our rescue team remains on standby to assist.”

Sea World Foundation Marine Mammal Specialist and lead cutter on this rescue operation, Ben Markham said seeing the whale swim off was incredible.

“Everyone played their roles really well and the team did a great job and seeing the whale swim off with his pecs nice and wide and tail moving freely was very rewarding,” he said.

“During the operation, the team is extremely focused to ensure we get the job done safely, but once we make the final cut and confirm the whale is free, the elation and joy is evident on the boat.”

For the 2025 whale migration season, Sea World Foundation is delighted to welcome The Lottery Office as a charity supporter and are incredibly thankful for their vital contribution to support our Ghost Net Response Program.