Minke whale rescue, Fraserburgh harbour

12/10/2006 00:00:00 The Minke whale that was trapped in Fraserburgh harbour in August was finally successfully encouraged out of the harbour and into the open sea by a team lead by volunteers from British Divers Marine Life Rescue. Six boats, coordinated by BDMLR, used the technique of tapping metal pipes held in the water to act as a 'wall of sound' to guide the young whale towards the harbour mouth and then out to the open water of the North Sea, the whale's natural habitat.

Speaking from the Pilot boat, Andy Ireland, BDMLR Coordinator said, ‘We followed the whale for one and a half miles out to sea and couldn’t keep up with it as it headed directly east into the North Sea. It was marvellous to see the whale swimming freely and so strongly.’

The whale was thought to have been over five metres in length, which means it was not a dependant calf but probably an independent juvenile. Also involved were the, Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society who monitored the whale's behaviour and spent much time advising members of the public, Fraserburgh Harbour authority, local fishermen, CRRU and the RNLI.

BDMLR was formed by a group of divers in 1988 in response to the deaths of a large number of seals in the Wash area of East Anglia. It is now a committed 24 hr rescue service. BDMLR now train over 500 Marine Mammal Medics a year and have 20 whale rescue pontoons located at strategic points throughout the UK waiting to help stranded whales and dolphins. There are over 3000 volunteers nation-wide.

BDMLR Coordinator, Andrew Ireland, lead the rescue efforts with a team of trained Marine Mammal Medics from BDMLR. ‘The whale is out. The team have done it! It's fantastic to see the whale now swimming freely in the open sea. I have to thank all those involved from BDMLR, WDCS and all the agencies who have helped us and more importantly, helped the whale’.