Sea World Foundation

🐋 During the humpback whale migration season this year, Sea World Foundation, Griffith University and Marine Mammal Research Program University of Hawaii collaborated to conduct a unique research project in Moreton Bay. 🐋 Come aboard with the team as they deploy suction-cap CATS camera tags onto humpback whale calves to gain insightful information and data on their energetics and behaviour. 🐋 The data collected during this project will help researchers understand how the mothers and calves use the Moreton Bay environment and how we can protect them in this area during the migration season

🐋 Head on-board with the #seaworldfoundation team who yesterday completed a daring rescue operation to save a humpback whale calf which had become entangled in the shark control netting off Currumbin. 🐋 The experienced team received the distress call from a member of the public just after midday and raced south to Currumbin to find the 6-metre calf heavily entangled in netting with mum keeping a watchful eye nearby, unimpacted by the netting. 🐋 The complex rescue operation was completed in just over an hour with the team working jointly with the Fisheries Queensland MART agency to remove all the netting from the calf using specialised equipment before mum and calf swam off to continue on their migration. 🐋 We continue our work with the authoritative agencies to research improved methods which will lessen the impact on marine life, however in the meantime remain available to assist in rescue operations of marine animals which become entangled and can be contacted on 07 5588 2222 (9am – 5pm) or 07 5588 2177 (after hours).

🛥️ Head on board with the #seaworldfoundation rescue team as they free a humpback whale calf which had become entangled in the shark control netting off Bilinga Beach. 🐋 After receiving the initial report, the experienced team travelled south to Bilinga where they located the 6-metre calf which was slightly entangled with netting on its tubercles with mum nearby, unimpacted by the netting. 🐋 The complex operation was completed within 30minutes with the team freeing the calf from the netting using specialised cutting knives, before watching mum and calf continue their migration. ✅ We will continue to work with the authoritative agencies to research improved methods which will lessen the impact on marine life, such as drone surveillance, however in the meantime remain available to assist in rescue operations of animals which become entangled and can be contacted on 07 5588 2222 (9am – 5pm) or 07 5588 2177 (after hours).

Last weekend, #seaworldfoundation hosted our fifth annual Ocean Clean Up event the Gold Coast Seaway with 279 land and dive volunteers removing almost 250kgs of marine debris from the area. 🙌 It was so wonderful to see the community getting involved to help clean up one of the Gold Coast’s most popular destinations and on the ground, 154kgs of debris was removed from the rock wall area while underwater, divers removed 90kgs of marine debris consisting mostly of fishing sinkers, hooks and lines. 🎣 This significant number of marine debris removed both above and below the water will reduce the risk of entanglement for local marine life. These type of events could not be achieved without the support and dedication of so many wonderful people and we’d like to share a special thank you to all the volunteers who attended the event making a vital difference to our local marine environments and to our many partners who helped make the day the success it was: ♻️ Containers for Change QLD for generously providing the clean-up bags. 🤿 Adreno and Gold Coast Dive Centre, for supporting our dive volunteers with free tank refills. 🐢 Watergum, who hosted a fascinating sea turtle citizen science talk. 🖤💛❤️ Yugambeh Region Aboriginal Corporation Alliance and Uncle John Graham for the Welcome to Country. 🎸ELEEA music talented local young musician who kept the tunes playing all day. This project has received funding support from the Queensland Government’s Community Sustainability Action grant program.

♻️ Sea World and Containers for Change QLD have teamed up to turn your recycled bottles, cans, and poppers into new products and support marine conservation! ♻️ For every item recycled, 10 cents is donated the Sea World Foundation to protect marine life. Don’t miss our Seal Guardians presentation at #seaworldaus to see how easy it is to make a difference! 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gkd8vtiM

🐋 Last migration season as part of ongoing research efforts with Griffith University the #seaworldfoundation team headed to Eden on the Southern NSW coast to assist Dr Olaf on his Whales and Climate research program to understand more about these majestic migrating mammals and how we can better protect them in the future and mitigate the impacts of climate change on the species. 🐬 🛥️ Head on board with the team and get a greater insight into this unique research. 

🐋 There was no rest for the #seaworldfoundation team as they headed even further south to Forster on Sunday to conduct the second whale rescue operation for the weekend. 🐋 Head on-board with the expert team as they joined NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service to race out to meet the team from Forster Dive Centre (also an ORRCA volunteer) who were monitoring and staying with the 10-metre whale, who had several wraps of rope and buoys around its tail and stock. 🐋 With the sun-setting and light fading the team initially deployed a telemetry buoy to allow for the whale to be tracked should they be unable to remove all the entanglement, however with precision cutting the team were able to successfully remove all the equipment in an operation which lasted just over ten minutes. 🐋 It was fitting to get the final cuts and watch the whale swim freely into the sunset continuing on its migration with its companion animals with minimal injuries. 🐋 We cannot thank Adam and the team at Forster Dive Centre enough, they stayed with the whale all day while we were travelling, and without their support we would not have found this whale and had the opportunity to free it from the entanglement. 🎥: Phone vision credit: Forster Dive Centre

Head along with the #seaworldfoundation team as they conducted the first of two rescue operations of the weekend! 🐋 On Saturday, the team travelled south to join @nswnationalparks and @orrcaaustralia to respond to a humpback whale which was heavily entangled in commercial fishing equipment off Emerald Beach at Coffs Harbour. 🐋 The complex rescue operation took just over an hour with the team using specialised equipment to attach a large buoy to the 8-metre whale to bring its tail to the surface before successfully cutting all the ropes and buoys from the whale. The team then monitored the whale for a short period before it continued its migration with only superficial injuries. 🐋 These operations could not be conducted without the collaborative efforts of Sea World, NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service and ORRCA and it was great to work together to rescue this whale and watch it continue on its migration unimpacted. 🎥: Drone vision credit: Jenni Graetz, ORRCA

🙌 It was a massive weekend for the #seaworldfoundation rescue team as they conducted two whale disentanglement operations with @nswnationalparks and @orrcaaustralia teams on the NSW mid-north coast. 🐋 On Saturday, the team responded to a heavily entangled whale in Coffs Harbour, before backing up on Sunday for a whale entangled off Forster, with help from the team at @forster_dive_centre. 👀 Stay tuned to our socials as we go on-board with the specialised teams who conducted the rescue operations!

🌊 Take to the seas and the skies with the #seaworldfoundation as they conduct their sixth whale rescue operation of the 2024 migration season to free an 8-metre humpback whale entangled in rope off North Stradbroke Island. 🚁 In a complex rescue operation, Sea World Helicopters provided vital aerial support to locate the whale and relay invaluable insight into the type of entanglement to prepare the rescue crew on the boat, following the initial reports from the member of public. 🐋 After following the coordinates supplied by the #seaworldhelicopters team, the crew on the boat located the whale 5 nautical miles off the coast off North Stradbroke Island and commenced the operation to remove the rope which was loosely entangled around the tail. The team connected their large buoys to the trailing rope with the friction of this extra weight managing to free the tail entanglement, however there was rope remaining in the whale’s mouth. 🌊 As the operation progressed further into the afternoon, the team reconnected another buoy with a satellite tracker which would allow them to continue the operation the following day should they lose light, however the extra weight of the buoy and tracker put the whale in a position which allowed the team to remove the remaining rope slowly and carefully from the whale’s mouth. 🐋 The team conducted a full assessment ensuring the whale had no further entanglement before leaving it to continue its northern migration.