The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Doomed attempt to save tangled-up minke whale
Wildlife: Mammal caught in fishing gear dies despite frantic rescue effort
The death of a minke whale after a dramatic rescue attempt sparked a row about lost, or “ghost”, fishing gear yesterday.
Rescuers battled in vain to save the struggling mammal that had become ensnared by a rope round its mouth off the Outer Hebrides.
The whale was spotted in distress off the west coast of Barra, and for several hours surfers and kayakers tried to save the mammal.
Instructors from the Isle of Barra Surf and Coastal Adventures managed to remove a rope which was jammed in the whale’s mouth and under its body.
Underwater footage shows that the lower jaw appeared broken and, tragically, the whale washed up later on Sunday at a local beach.
“Once again another innocent sea creature is the victim of ocean pollution,” said a spokesman for the rescuers.
People took to social media to log their outrage.
Birgit Ish wrote:”The government should take action against ghost nets and other ghost gear. Like Sweden, Norway and Denmark do.”
Sarah Brown said: “Thanks for trying. I wonder how effective the new work to reduce entanglement really is?”
While Christina Mackenzie added: “Great work in trying to save the whale and yes it’s sad that it died but that’s down to the pollution in our seas.”
And Sally Berrisford wrote: “We humans are absolute parasites – we don’t deserve this beautiful planet #shameful.”
A few days ago a young whale also died after it became tangled up in what are thought to have been creel lines off Scotland’s north-west coast.
The Scottish Marine Animal Strandings Scheme (SMASS) received reports of the minke whale’s plight, with the youngster found bloated and floating on the surface.
It had been dead for a couple of days and was discovered with rope wrapped around its head.
A spokesman for SMASS said: “Minke whales are the smallest mysticete species in our waters, and are less powerful swimmers, therefore less able to escape, or surface to breathe, once entangled.”
The relatively small minkes grow to around 26ft, and are one of the more common whales seen in Scottish waters.
The SMASS spokesman added: “Entanglements aren’t just a Scottish problem, they occur globally wherever marine animals and fishing gear overlap.
“However, the good news is that in a bid to address these here, the Scottish Entanglement Alliance is working with the inshore creel fishing industry to better understand the scale and impacts of marine animal entanglements.
“No entanglement is deliberate and fishermen are often as upset, if not more, by these events as anyone.
“It is vital that we continue to develop positive working relationships with the inshore fleet and support and work with fishermen to try to prevent these incidents in the future.”