3 Whale and dolphin entanglements No:

Emergencies Wildlife FACTSHEET

Whale and dolphin entanglements in Victoria Victorian coastal waters support a number of Southern Hemisphere cetacean (whales and dolphins) species throughout the year. Unfortunately whales and dolphins are increasingly at risk of being caught or entangled in marine debris or fishing gear. Marine debris is generally of human origin, from sources both on land and at sea, and may be extremely harmful to marine wildlife. Debris that causes harm to whales or dolphins includes plastic garbage (e.g. bags, bottles, ropes), derelict fishing gear from recreational and commercial fishing activities and ship-sourced, non-biodegradable floating materials lost or disposed of at sea. In Australia most entanglements are caused by fishing gear and shark nets.

A whale or dolphin entanglement occurs when an animal gets caught in marine debris and is not able to free itself. Entanglements may cause distress, serious injury which could compromise its feeding or breeding success, and in some cases death. How often do entanglements occur? Victoria generally experiences an average of one to two reported whale and dolphin entanglement incidents per year. Of the large whale entanglements, all have been caused by Rock Lobster pot ropes. Who do I call if I see an entangled whale? Any whale or dolphin entanglement (or stranding or injury) should be immediately reported to DSE via the Whale and Dolphin Emergency Hotline - 1300 136 017.

Emergency response

Whale or dolphin entanglement is listed as an emergency under the Emergency Management Act 1986. The Emergency Management Manual of Victoria (EMMV) has designated the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) as the control agency for dealing with whale and dolphin entanglements. DSE and its partner agencies respond to reports of a whale or dolphin entanglement in accordance with the Victorian Cetacean Contingency Plan (VCCP). This plan outlines standards and procedures for responding to a whale and dolphin entanglement emergency. Like all other emergencies which the Department is involved with (including whale and dolphin strandings), entanglements are managed under the Australasian Inter-service Incident Management System (AIIMS) structure. AIIMS is the Incident Management System used by government to control a particular incident, or a number of incidents. A number of support agencies assist DSE with the emergency response. Staff from Parks Victoria and Fisheries Victoria (DPI) assist during whale and dolphin entanglement emergencies by providing vessels and vessel operators as well as personnel skilled in disentanglement operations.

3

ISBN 978-1-74242-272-5 (print) ISBN 978-1-74242-273-2 (online)

Published by the Victorian Government Department of Sustainability and Environment Melbourne, November 2009 © The State of Victoria Department of Sustainability and Environment 2009

This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. Authorised by the Victorian Government, 8 Nicholson Street, East Melbourne. Printed by Biodiversity Conservation, 2/8 Nicholson Street, East Melbourne

For more information contact the DSE Customer Service Centre 136 186. This publication may be of assistance to you but the State of Victoria and its employees do not guarantee that the publication is without flaw of any kind or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore

disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you relying on any information in this publication.

www.dse.vic.gov.au

FACTSHEET No: What will happen in an entanglement emergency? Disentanglement operations involve highly specialised techniques with significant safety risks to those involved. Strict competency standards and training are required to ensure the safety of all staff involved. DSE staff will assess the situation to determine the appropriate response and if needed an Incident Management Team (IMT) will be set up under the AIIMS structure to manage the incident. Disentanglement operations are carried out by field experts, with the aim of taking the object off the whale or dolphin while not jeopardising the safety of the rescuers. They use specialised equipment including underwater cameras, cutting devices, boats and tracking devices combined with aerial support to find and then if possible, remove the entangled material from the whale or dolphin. Victorian Rock Lobster Fishery Code of Practice DSE works with the Rock Lobster fishing industry to reduce the risk of entanglement and to improve response times when an incident does occur. A code of practice for fishermen has been developed to guide this. What can I do to help? Whales are large wild animals that don’t understand that the rescue team is trying to help. Their behaviour is often unpredictable. Being close to a whale in distress is a dangerous situation in which people have been seriously injured in the past. Human

safety is considered the number one priority during disentanglement operations. Response activities to cetacean entanglement are high risk and complex operations that require trained and experienced personnel. Volunteers are not permitted to be involved in a whale or dolphin disentanglement operation. It is important to remember that members of the public can call the Whale and Dolphin Emergency Hotline as soon as you become aware of an entanglement incident. Where possible and safe to do so, you may be asked to watch the entangled whale or dolphin and provide information on what you’ve seen, until the rescue team arrives. Marine mammals are protected by law Marine mammals are protected and it is illegal for any member of the public to interfere with them on sea or land. DSE will respond appropriately taking into consideration the safety of personnel and welfare of the whale. Any dead dolphins and whales are of great scientific significance but can also pose a health risk. They should be left alone by members of the public and reported to DSE.

Photo: Mandy Watson