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Bonavista Bay Release Story
Gerry Husey and Wayne Ledwell try to identify the whale species using a mask and snorkel
Entrapped Whale released in Bonavista Bay
By Yolanda Powell, Fishery Officer, Bonavista
On Monday July 16 [2002] fishery officers Yolanda Powell and Lloyd Slaney set out on what was to be a not so routine coastal patrol. They were following the shoreline from Bonavista toward Blackhead Bay when officer Slaney spotted a large orange buoy toward the middle of the bay. With no fisheries open in that area, they went to investigate. When they arrived at the buoy they found it to be moving away from them. The buoy was being towed by what was soon observed to be a very large whale. A call was placed to the Whale Release and Strandings group. Wayne Ledwell, a member of the group, asked if the officers could stay nearby until he got there.
A few hours later Wayne Ledwell and volunteer Gerry Husey, a fisherman from Bonavista, arrived on the scene. Ledwell estimated the whale to be towing approximately 200 fathoms of 5/8 inch rope. Both men picked up the trailing ropes and began to pull themselves toward the entangled whale. When they were close enough, they were able to identify the whale as a Humpback. Ledwell was also able to see how the whale was entangled. The whale never stopped moving during the entire process and towed its rescuers 5-6 miles at a steady pace before they managed to cut the gear free.
The story would end there had it not been for the very well marked buoy. Officers Powell and Slaney didn't recognize the Commercial Fishing Vessel (CFV) number, so they took it back to the office to do some investigating. The CFV number was traced to a fisher from Harbour Breton on the south coast. Officer Slaney contacted the individual who was the registered owner of the gear. The fisher advised Officer Slaney that he lost seven crab pots, his marker buoy and 200 fathoms of rope on June 19, 2002 in the Laurentian Channel, 92 miles from Harbour Breton. He had suspected a whale had taken the gear, as there were two other entrapments in the area at that time. The fisher was pleasantly surprised to hear that his fishing gear had turned up on July 16 in Bonavista Bay.
"The Whale Release and Strandings Team did a remarkable job on that day and performed a tremendous service," says Officer Slaney.
It was estimated that the whale had traveled approximately 600 kilometers, but who knows where he traveled for close to a month before being spotted in Bonavista Bay.
Story end
"GREAT GOING, WAYNE [of Whale Release and Stranding Group]!"
— Dr. Catherine C. Hood, Species at Risk Coordinator, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Newfoundland Region, Canada
Story provided by Susan Keough, Communications Officer | Agent de communications, Government of Canada | Gouvernement du Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada | Pêches et Océans Canada, Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Centre, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
See also Newfoundland Inshore Fishing Gear
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Web Site Developer Susan Guerrero
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