The captain of the Eastern Points out of Lunenburg says it was great to save a whale from certain death.
Walter Flower was providing an adventure tour Monday afternoon near Cross Island.
Over 40 passengers were watching two minke whales when Captain Flower noticed a humpback whale entangled in several metres of fishing gear.
That’s when he and his tour guide, Kevin Dares, went to work with a grappling hook.
“After about 10 tries, we hooked it. Then I came a stern with the boat just gently and the whale spun around facing us. I just backed away gently and we ended up pulling the line and freeing it.”
Flower says the fishing equipment was around the whales mouth and probably prevented it from feeding properly.
“It’s a real problem, unfortunately. It is something that the fishermen and DFO have to figure out how we can lessen the impact. When they get tangled up, it is a slow and agonizing death. It’s terrible.”
Flower says he’s been providing tours for over 20 years and has come across many dead whales.
But in this instance, he says it was a rewarding experience to be able to free the mammal.
