ENVIRONMENT
B
RYDE’S WHALES COMMONLY occur along the coast of South Africa but are rarely
Agulhus Rescuer launched from Struisbaai Harbour with three crew members on board and set out
sighted. They are light-grey in colour, have small sickle-shaped dorsal fins and give very light blows. Even though they can grow up to 16m in length, they are very agile and deep divers. When Daniel la Grange, a crew member of FV Rusvic, spotted a whale entangled by ropes and buoys south of Agulhas, he not only called Sea Rescue to assist but the skipper and crew also offered to stay with the whale until help arrived – a very good call, considering how difficult a Bryde’s whale can be to sight. Station 30 (Agulhas ) was alerted just before 08h00 and activated the crew. The 8,5m RIB
to rendezvous with the Rusvic. In the meantime the Station 30 mobile vehicle was dispatched to Suiderstrand to launch the 4,7m I&J Rescuer 4. The sea conditions were fair with a rolling 3m swell and clear skies, and by 09h17 both rescue vessels had reached the location of the whale, approximately three nautical miles from land. The I&J Rescuer 4 carefully approached the animal, identifying it as a 9m juvenile Bryde’s whale that was trailing lines and buoys. The markings on the buoys had been rubbed off and the rope was covered in algae, indicating that the whale may have been entangled for some time. The crew were able to get close enough to attach a kegding line (a rope to which a number of buoys are attached) to the entanglement to try to slow the whale down. However, as soon as
TRICKY BUSINESS
PHOTOGRAPHS: SUPPLIED
On 22 May this year, Station 30 (Agulhas) crew were eager to help a young Bryde’s whale entangled in ghost fishing net. Despite the animal’s elusive behaviour, the mission was a success. Cherelle Leong tells the story.
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SEA RESCUE SPRING 2020
