General News
17 August, 2023
Beached whale returned to sea
FISHERMEN and land and sea rangers have rescued a stranded juvenile humpback whale beach at Yarrabah’s Mission Bay.
The stranded whale was first spotted by local fishermen in the Mission Bay area on Thursday last week. They immediately contacted local Gunggandji land and sea rangers.
With the help of the fishermen, the land and sea rangers were able to return the whale to the water and reunite the calf with its mother as efficiently and as safely as possible.
“It was a great outcome to save this stranded whale, and I would like the local fishermen for assisting us,” said Gunggandji land and sea ranger coordinator Brian Murgha.
“Protecting our natural resources and managing them in a sustainable way is part of the traditions that have been passed down by our elders for generations. The ranger program enables traditional owners to maintain those traditions,” he said.
The rangers work closely with the Department of Fisheries and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to protect and manage marine resources in the region.
The rangers conduct regular sea patrols and animal, bird and fish surveys in the seas off Yarrabah.
The Gunggandji land and sea rangers have been operating for over a decade and are all traditional owners from Yarrabah, following the efficient and sustainable traditions that have been passed down for generations.
