The tricky work of disentangling whales

Freeing an entangled whale is complex, dangerous and immensely rewarding. Based in Kaikōura, marine ranger Zac Penman leads DOC’s South Island large whale disentanglement team. He speaks to Claire Concannon about their training and mahi.

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LEARN MORE:

• Hear Zac Penman tell the full story of the southern right whale disentanglement.
• Learn how the team freed a southern right whale tangled in a pot line near Rakiura.
• Explore an Our Changing World episode about researchers tracking southern right whales from the subantarctic Auckland Islands.
• Read about the record number of humpback whales spotted off Kaikōura.
• The rules about sharing the coast with marine mammals are on this DOC page.

GUESTS:

• Zac Penman, Kaikōura marine ranger and lead of the Department of Conservation’s South Island large whale disentanglement team.

IN THIS EPISODE:

(00:00) Disentanglement of a Southern Right Whale

(02:45) Compliance patrols off Kaikōura.

(08:38) The Hikurangi Marine Reserve.

(17:41) How the team locates, tracks and safely approaches entangled whales.

(22:00) Equipment and training.

(31:03) The backstory, and international guidelines.

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details