Picture by Kathleen Macdonald
On Saturday 1 March, BDMLR’s Large Whale Disentanglement Team (LWDT) attempted to disentangle an entangled sperm whale off the east coast of the Isle of Skye.
The 15 metre long whale was originally spotted on Thursday 27 February and reported to BDMLR who dispatched the specially trained LWDT. Working with drones and several boats the team made an assessment of the whale’s condition, which appeared weak and wasn’t swimming strongly. However, the weather deteriorated making it impossible to approach the animal that day.
On Friday 28 February the team relocated the whale and were able to approach for a closer inspection. Sperm whales are known to be unpredictable, especially when entangled, so the team had to act with extreme caution. They determined there were several lines wrapped around the animal, which was trailing 10 to 20 metres of rope. However, with another turn in the weather, the team was forced back to shore. This gave them time to formulate a plan for freeing the animal.
This entanglement is the fourth incident of this type BDMLR has responded to in three months. However each was very different and unconnected.
On Saturday conditions allowed the team to get back on the water and using specialist equipment, they were able to cut several lines impairing the whale’s movement. The team managed to cut five wraps of rope forward of the pectoral fin and one of the trailing lines. There are at least two wraps and one trailing line left, though we are hopeful these will come off on their own. Straight away after removing the worst of the entanglement, the whale became more active, swimming faster and for longer. However, the whale is not out of trouble.
The sound of Raasay, where the whale was found, is considered out of habitat for a sperm whale, so its presence in the area could indicate there are underlying health conditions we were not able to detect, and there is a chance the animal could fully strand at a later time.
In worsening weather, the team lost sight of the whale, which was now free swimming and so further monitoring was not possible.
BDMLR would like to thank Stardust Boat Trips and SeaSkye Tours as well as the Isle of Skye community who offered their help to assist the animal.
If you see a stranded or entangled whale contact BDMLR’s emergency helpline on 01825 765546.
BDMLR is part of the Scottish Entanglement Alliance working to reduce these kinds of incidents through positive collaboration and awareness – learn more at https://scottishentanglement.org.