South African rescuers need training for whale missions

The time has come for South Africa to establish a unit trained to free whales that have become entangled in ropes and fishing nets - and there are experts in the United States willing to help teach members.

This call comes after a police diver cut a mass of tangled nylon rope off a humpback whale near Gordon's Bay on Saturday in a tricky operation that the diver performed while he was being towed by the young animal.

Mike Meyer of Marine and Coastal Management (MCM) and Nan Rice of the Dolphin Action and Protection Group said on Sunday that they had had informal discussions about setting up a unit and wanted to hold workshops with scientists, police and navy divers, the Natal Sharks Boards, National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) and others to discuss this.

Rice said: "The unit should be organised by MCM, so the department of environmental affairs must supply the funding. We're seeing more of these entanglements every year.

There is someone in the US who is prepared to come to train people, but he wants it to be a formulated unit first.

"South Africa is a member of the International Whaling Commission and it's up to MCM to see that whales are properly disentangled. They are a valuable asset to our economy, so why can't they spend a bit of money and get this thing together?"

Meyer said there were teams in the US and Australia trained to disentangle whales.

"There has been an increase in animal entanglement. We're in contact with people in the US who do this and we're looking to start something here. We've got to get together and discuss the best way to go about it," he said.

The humpback whale that was freed on Saturday was spotted off Cape Point by fishermen several weeks ago.

Pat Stacey, MCM's chief inspector for False Bay, said he had been phoned by the head of the police divers on Saturday for permission to try to free the whale.

"I warned them that it was extremely dangerous, but gave them permission," Stacey said.

Eben Lourens of Bellville, a member of the SA Police Service bomb squad and a volunteer police diver, said the divers had approached the whale in a NSRI vessel and later in an MCM boat.

"I got hold of the ropes and pulled myself along to about four metres behind the tail and started to cut the ropes. I think he knew I was there because after I cut the first rope, he suddenly increased speed.

My biggest worry was becoming entangled myself and going down with the whale. It was going quite fast, so I had to cling to the ropes as I cut them.

"There is some rope left high up on its tail, but to get that off you would have to get on to the whale and I would not risk that."

Source: www.iol.co.za