Only 35 whales are still alive out of about 230 that were stranded on Tasmania's west coast near Strahan, with rescuers racing against the clock to save as many as they can.
Key points:
- Another five whales died overnight, leaving 35 still alive on the beach
- Rescuers who spent yesterday righting whales and keeping them wet will focus on returning them to the sea today
- The incident occurred at the same harbour on the same day of the year as Australia's worst-ever stranding in 2020
Hundreds of pilot whales became stranded yesterday at the entrance to Macquarie Harbour, known as Hells Gates.
It was two years to the day since Australia's worst recorded whale stranding, also in the same harbour with the same species.
Most of the whales are stranded on Ocean Beach while some are on a nearby sand flat within the harbour.
Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service regional operations manager Brendon Clark said five whales died overnight, leaving just 35 still alive on the beach this morning.
About 50 people were at a briefing at the scene this morning where tasks were allocated and the wellbeing of the crews and animals was assessed.
Mr Clark said three of the aquaculture companies based in Strahan were also helping with the rescue.
"We are primarily focused this morning on really getting into that rescue operation and getting them [the whales] released," Mr Clark said.
"We are conscious that some of them may re-beach themselves, and so we'll be monitoring that."
New method to move stranded whales
Mr Clark said authorities appreciated all the offers of help from the public but it was a complex operation and only trained volunteers were needed.
"It's a much more difficult environmental condition out there on Ocean Beach as opposed to the relative shelter of the estuary [in the 2020 stranding]," he said.
"The animals last time were pretty well, half flooding, they had some buoyancy. At the moment they're just dead weight."
He said authorities were trialling a new method that was not used in 2020 to transport the whales that were still alive back to the sea.
"So with heavy equipment and machinery out on the beach [this morning], it's very, very paramount that we have a controlled environment," he said.
The location of the stranding is remote — about a 30-minute walk from the nearest beachside car park.
Whales 'squeaking', towels keeping them wet
Staff from aquaculture companies Petuna and Huon were also among the first at the scene yesterday, helping move whales back to sea.
Tom Mountney from Petuna Aquaculture said authorities and volunteers were preparing the whales to go back to sea.
"We're just sort of righting the alive whales, getting them up the beach and then … there will be a bit of plan of attack made this afternoon and evening to potentially get them back in the water tomorrow [Thursday]," he said on Wednesday.
"From [Thursday] we will be using our vessels, getting the whales in the water and trying to get them out several hundred meters off the coast."
Mr Mountney said rescuers were using sheets and buckets to keep the whales wet until they could be moved back to the ocean.
There was "a little bit of splashing" as well as "growling" and "squeaking" coming from the whales.
"We are probably a bit desensitised because of deja vu from last time," he said.
On September 21, 2020, about 470 pilot whales became beached in Macquarie Harbour.
On that occasion, just over 100 whales were able to be saved.
"We have all the gear ready for the boats, we know exactly what we need to do."
Mr Mountney said the weather was mild on Wednesday, compared to the "freezing" conditions rescuers had to deal with in 2020.
Huon Aquaculture's manager in Strahan, Linton Kringle, said the whale stranding had shaken the town again.
"Probably more of a 'not again' sort of moment," he said.
"Still seeing some [remains of] whales on the beach from the previous one … is [a] reminder of what happened," Mr Kringle said.
"I think Strahan itself would like to move past it."
Even though the rescue continues, potential volunteers and well-meaning members of the public are being urged to stay clear of the area.
"The most important thing, if you're not invited by parks or one of the organisations helping, is to stay away," West Coast Council general manager David Midson said.
"Having extra people can really hinder how they go about their rescue efforts."
The Department of Natural Resources and Environment said if any member of the public found a deceased whale, they should leave it alone.
"Whales are a protected species, even once deceased, and it is an offence to interfere with a carcass," the department said.
Second Tasmanian stranding this week
Earlier this week at least 14 sperm whales were reported stranded in another event in the state.
The group of young males were discovered on Monday on King Island, off the state's north-west coast.
All 14 had already died.
Marine expert Vanessa Pirotta said the causes of whale strandings were still not well understood.
"Whale strandings are a complete mystery," Dr Pirotta said, "but what's really unusual here is that this is the second stranding for this week."
She said with pilot whales, which are highly social animals, there were a few common theories about what leads them astray.
"So one could be misnavigation," Dr Pirotta said, adding environmental factors could also potentially come into it.
"The fact that we've seen similar species at the same time in the same location reoccurring in terms of stranding … might provide some sort of indication that there might be something environmental here," she said.
"The reality is we just don't know at this stage."
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2022-09-21 21:41:28Z
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