At 07h04 on Sunday 10 July members of the SA Whale Disentanglement Network (SAWDN) were activated following reports from a chokka fishing boat at sea of a small whale appearing to be entangled in a drogue parachute (a drogue parachute is normally used to slow down fishing trawlers, while fishing, by being placed in the water to drag behind the trawler) 11 nautical miles off-shore of St Francis Bay.
Volunteers of the SA Whale Disentanglement Network, aboard the NSRI St Francis Bay rescue craft, Spirit of St Francis II, launched at 07h48 and on arrival on-scene the volunteers found the drogue parachute empty and, based on reports from the fishermen, it appears that a whale calf, suspected to be a Southern Right whale, most likely managed to swim itself free of the drogue parachute and has disappeared (believed to be) with it’s mother (as a larger whale was witnessed to also be in the area and is suspected to be the parent whale).
The drogue parachute has been recovered and brought ashore.
No further action was necessary as it appears that all of the parts of the drogue parachute that was witnessed to be entangled around the whale has been recovered.
