Rescuers pin hopes on satellite tracker to help save entangled humpback whale

A satellite tracker is monitoring a humpback whale after it became entangled off the NSW coast. The whale is entangled in green rope and five white buoys, and was last seen travelling south past Cronulla Beach. What's next? A wildlife spokesperson says rescue teams will resume their efforts on Sunday if the satellite tracker remains in place. Wildlife rescue teams are tracking an entangled humpback whale near Sydney, one of eight currently entangled off the New South Wales coast. The whale, an estimated eight metres in length, was spotted on Saturday afternoon about three kilometres off South Head entangled in green rope and five white buoys. Volunteers from the Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans (ORRCA) were tracking the animal, along with a private whale-watching vessel. A specialist disentanglement team with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) approached the whale and attached a satellite tracker in the early evening. The whale has since travelled south past Cronulla Beach. A NPSW spokeswoman said if the tracker remained attached overnight, teams would resume the rescue operation on Sunday. "Disentanglement is highly skilled and dangerous, and crews will only attempt to do so if conditions are safe," the spokeswoman said. Eight whale entanglements amid northern migration Tens of thousands of humpback whales are passing along the coast as part of their annual northern migration. ORRCA spokeswoman Pip Jacobs said the organisation has been tracking another seven entangled whales off the coast. "We believe they may be off the far north coast of New South Wales now and heading into south-east Queensland," she said. "So we urge anyone who sights an entangled whale to please call through to the ORRCA hotline so we attempt to get help to that animal." Ms Jacobs said another two whales had been successfully disentangled in the past fortnight. She has urged untrained community members not to approach entangled whales. "It's incredibly complex and incredibly dangerous and we implore anyone to not undertake this themselves," she said. "Humpbacks weigh up to 40 tonnes and when they're entangled [they] often exhibit a stress response, so they may be thrashing, they're obviously quite distressed given the gear that they're entangled in." Whales face a range of threats from marine debris such as nets and ropes, often referred to as "ghost nets". Ms Jacobs said the longer a whale was entangled, the worse its condition became, which could result in death from starvation, injuries, or other complications. Anyone who sees an entangled whale is urged to report its location, direction and speed to NPWS on 1300 072 757 or the ORRCA Rescue Hotline on 02 9415 3333.