Hey everyone, I have some bad news to share (it may be bad but it could be worse). Right whale 3123 has been photographed by Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies entangled. Below is an aerial photograph from the sighting and the account from the researchers (the whale is skim feeding and the red line is on the right mouthline).
Depth and clarity do not allow for an accurate assessment and it is unknown if the point of attachment is the right mouth or flipper, or both. The left mouthline appears to be clean. It is unclear if the material is red rope or netting. No trailing gear can be seen. While the entanglement may not be life threatening the whale should be monitored for further assessment.
We sighted right whale 3123 and her calf on October 12/10 on the edge of the Owen Basin. Her and her calf would have gone their own way sometime in the winter months. Below is a photograph I took last October of right whale 3123.
Cheers,
Danielle
Now this is a shame. I hope that it releases easily. Is this the same whale that has made it to the news? We heard about a whale with rope trailing from it on our Australian news. We have a great affinity for the whales as both the Southern Right and Humpback whales migrate past here in Margaret River Western Australia and they also use Filinders Bay as a nursery for rearing their calves. The whale watching season is just about to start as the whales begin their migration. So majestic.