Whale and Dolphin Conservation

Entanglements

The effect that entanglements can have on cetaceans is a concern to the Australian Government. Most whales and dolphins are at risk in some way from entanglements; as a result of rubbish, marine debris or marine industry activities.

Some large whale species (humpback whales and southern right whales) which make annual migrations to Australian waters to breed and give birth are making a gradual recovery from the impacts of whaling last century. This recovery has coincided with the growth in coastal development, fishing activities, aquaculture and other off shore infrastructure. Much of this activity is within the migratory paths of these marine mammals. As a result there has been an increase in the reported incidence of whale entanglement in Australian waters in recent years. This issue is not confined to our region, with reports of whale entanglements on the increase throughout the world.

While the issue of entanglements is starting to be addressed by a number of industries within Australia there is no simple solution to the problem. This is because entanglement is a complex and difficult issue requiring the development and implementation of long-term strategies. The Australian Government will continue to invest in addressing the issue of entanglements over the coming years.

What is Australia doing about Entanglements

Entanglement can cause serious injury and distress to the animals and may result in the animal dying. Government agencies around the coast coordinate activities to disentangle whales whenever possible. Disentangling a whale is a very skilful exercise and can also be dangerous. For this reason disentanglement training is essential to ensure government staff have the skills and expertise to perform this extremely important task. The Australian Government runs annual national disentanglement workshops.

The objectives of the workshops are:

• To share knowledge about methods for disentangling large whales (especially southern right and humpback whales) from fishing gear/shark nets/ marine debris;
• To raise awareness of the issues involved in large whale entanglements, and promote a safe and effective approach to dealing with entanglements;
• To discuss measures for minimising the occurrence of large whale entanglements; and
• To promote the establishment of a national information-sharing network for people involved in large whale disentanglements.

To further reduce the long term risk of whale entanglements Australia is working with the commercial fishing industry to ensure that fishing equipment is whale and dolphin friendly.

Should you come across an entangled whale or dolphin, please report it to your State Environment Department as soon as possible.

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