Fears are today growing for the welfare of a giant Humpback whale which has become entangled with a lobster pot buoy off the south coast of England.
Marine wildlife experts are concerned the 20 tonne behemoth could die if it is not freed from the buoy since it could restrict its movement and make it unable to dive for food.
The whale was spotted by local photographer Peter Moore one mile off the Isle of Portland in Dorset.
This Humpback whale is believed to have been caught on a lobster pot off the south coast
Photographer Peter Moore spotted the mammal about a mile off Chesil Cove in Dorset
Marine mammal experts are waiting for weather conditions to improve before going out to the Humpback whale and attempt to free it from the line
The British Divers Marine Life Rescue, a voluntary organisation which rescues sea animals in difficulty, will launch an operation to free the whale once weather conditions improve.
They have advised boats to stay clear of the 50ft mammal which is normally harmless since it could be ‘unpredictable’ due to the distress of being entangled.
Mr Moore, 49, spotted the whale while visiting Chesil Cove.
He said: ‘Just as I arrived at the cove there were people leaving who said they thought they saw a whale or dolphin.
‘I kept a watch and couldn’t see anything until in the distance I picked something out.
‘I saw water shoot up which could only be a whale then its dorsal fin break the surface.
‘It did this two or three times. It was then I noticed it was dragging what appeared to be an orange lobster pot buoy and was heading south.
‘It was amazing to see the whale but quite concerning it was attached to the buoy. I just hope it can break free from it.’
Mr Moore, head of environmental services at Dorset County Council, spotted the whale swimming southwards at 2.30pm on Sunday.
However, there have been no further sightings of the whale since then.
Experts believe this could by the same whale which was sighted close to the shore off Slapton Sands in Devon last February and twice had to be freed from floating objects.
Stephen Marsh, of the British Divers Marine Life Rescue, said: ‘We don’t know yet if it is the same one because we’ve not had the chance to do a comparison of the photos.
‘Unfortunately we’ve had reports that this whale has become entangled with a lobster pot.
‘Humpback whales are not dangerous but I would advise boats not to approach it because it is such a large creature and as it is entangled it could be unpredictable.
‘Since the whale appears to have been swimming quite quickly hopefully it is not badly entangled.
‘Perhaps it may even have been able to free itself.
‘We hope to get out to it once the weather lets us.’
Humpbacks have a cavernous mouth that is big enough to swallow a car, but they are totally harmless – they love to hoover up a ‘soup’ of millions of micropscopic plankton with every gulp.
They cover vast distances – often spending part of the year in Antarctica then deserting the South Pole to swim up towards the seas around the North Pole, sometimes pitching up in British waters.
Sightings in British waters have become more frequent in the last five years, with 40 reported in 2016 compared to just five in 2012.
This surge has been attributed to a crackdown on whaling, although whales which swim into waters used for fishing are getting themselves entangled in equipment like the orange lobster pot buoy used by fishermen to reel in their catches.
Marine wildlife expert Steve Trewhella said an entangled whale has restricted movement and is not able to dive for food which is also the way it gets hydration.
He said: ‘The bay is no place for a magnificent animal like that because there are too many hazards for them to get caught in from lobster pot buoys to fishing quills.
‘If a whale is entangled and its movement is restricted it can’t dive for food which is also its source of hydration.
‘There is only so long a whale would be able to survive without water and I fear if it is not released from the buoy it may end up stranded on the beach.’