Humpback whale freed after getting tangled at Skye fish farm
A humpback whale that had become entangled in a fish farm mooring off Skye has been freed, following a rescue operation. The farm itself appears to be undamaged.
The whale ran into trouble at the Organic Sea Harvest farm at Invertote, and the incident was reported at 8.30am yesterday.
Organic Sea Harvest (OSH) notified the Scottish Government and other relevant agencies, and an expert team from the voluntary organisation British Divers Marine Life Rescue were soon on site.
Organic Sea Harvest suspended normal farming operations while the team worked to free the whale. It was finally disentangled and able to swim away this morning, although rescuers report it was in an exhausted condition after its ordeal.
The company said today: “We’re delighted to confirm that the humpback whale entangled at our salmon farm has been freed.
“Our farm staff, supported by expert divers from British Divers Marine Life Rescue, have worked tirelessly since discovering the whale just after 7am yesterday. This is the outcome we had all hoped for and worked towards.
“OSH staff will continue to monitor the whale’s movements and provide any further assistance to the authorities.
“We sincerely thank everyone involved in the rescue operation, especially the British Divers Marine Life Rescue.
“We would also like to offer our thanks to other salmon farmers and local seafaring community on Skye for all their offers of assistance.”
The OSH statement added: “During the rescue it became clear that the whale had previously been entangled and was carrying old ropes of a type not used by Organic Sea Harvest. It was this existing entangled rope which caught onto the farm moorings as it swam by. Thankfully the BDMLR team were not only able to free the whale from the salmon farm, but they were also able to free it of the other ropes it had been carrying.”
Martin Boon (“Boonie”) of British Divers Marine Life Rescue told Fish Farmer the whale had become tangled in a rope which had itself become attached to a mooring buoy at the Invertote farm.
He explained: “It’s a piece of marine debris, not part of the fish farm. The buoys are attached by chains, not ropes. There’s a lot of stuff in the water!”
So far indications are that the fish farm nets were not damaged in the incident.
Boon added that OSH had provided boats and other support throughout the rescue.
The Large Whale Disentanglement Team is part of British Divers Marine Life Rescue, a nationwide charity that rescues marine wildlife including seals, dolphins, and whales.
Callouts to rescue whales and other marine mammals are not uncommon in Scottish waters. On 4 November, for example, the team successfully freed a humpback whale that had become entangled in creel ropes in Loch Fyne.
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