A whale has been rescued after becoming entangled in commercial fishing equipment off South Stradbroke Island.
The sub adult humpback was first spotted struggling in the water late on Tuesday, with a concerned member of the public raising the alarm.
Sea World Rescue crews then set out to find the injured mammal early Wednesday morning, but it took them six hours to track it down.
When they finally stumbled upon the humpback it was extremely tired, with crews immediately launching into action.
They managed to cut it free from the rope within 15 minutes, allowing it to continue its migration.
Sea World Foundation Head of Marine Sciences Wayne Phillips said it was a long and emotional day out on the water.
“The whale was in a poor condition with four tight rope wraps around its head and mouth, and without intervention there was no way it would have survived, so it was critical we removed the entanglement,” he said.
“After some precision cutting by our team, all the rope was removed, and it was an amazing feeling to see the whale swim off so strongly.”
Yesterday’s rescue is the fourth whale entanglement this season alone.
