In relation to volunteer teams the Department of Environment called for volunteers from their bases around the coast as well as from other governmental and non-governmental organisations.

SAWDN is run under the auspices of the Department of Environment - Oceans & Coasts (O&C).
The Network works through an Executive Committee of 12 officers from various organisations. Members of the Rock Lobster Industry also serve on the executive committee, which is chaired by Nan Rice (DAPG) and the vice-chairman, Mike Meyer, a marine scientist (Oceans & Coasts), who is also Director of Operations & Training. Donations towards SAWDN operations are channelled through the Dolphin Action & Protection Group, which has administered this funding over the past four years, and together with O&C and the Sharks Board KZN has paid for a great deal of disentanglement and safety equipment, apart from helping to fund training sessions in various places. Tsitsikamma Crystal, a water bottling company that carries DAPG's SAVE THE WHALES logo, donates a percentage of its sales to the Group on a quarterly basis, has also donated funds which have paid for equipment and helped with training sessions.
DAPG does a large amount of the administrative work for SAWDN, which includes circulating information to volunteers, minutes of meetings, organising meetings and dealing with correspondence.

INTERNATIONAL WHALING COMMISSION (IWC)
WORKING GROUP ON KILLING METHODS & ASSOCIATED WELFARE ISSUES.

Background: At the 2007 IWC meeting, attention was drawn to the suffering caused by large whales through entanglement in fishing gear. The Commission subsequently agreed by consensus that a one-day workshop should be held in conjunction with the 2008 IWC meeting to address welfare issues associated with entrapped large cetaceans that cannot be released alive.

The Workshop was held at the Hawaiian Islands: Humpback Whale National Sanctuary in Maui, Hawaii from 13-15 April 2010. Mike Meyer received a formal invitation from the IWC Secretariat to attend; as he has valuable experience in disentangling large whales as well as euthanasing stranded cetaceans. The value of Workshops such as the foregoing is to liaise with various experts and exchange information. The Workshop Report was tabled at the 62nd IWC meeting in late June 2010. Because the 2010 IWC Workshop proved so informative, at the 2011 IWC Meeting the Working Group and the Commission endorsed a proposal by Australia, Norway and the USA to take forward recommendations from the Workshop. Short-term initiatives include: convening a 2nd Workshop; beginning capacity building in identified countries and regions and establishing a standing group of experts to advise member countries upon request.

Because the Hawaiin Workshop was so successful, the IWC Working Group and the Commission endorsed a propsal by Australia, Norway and the USA at the 2011 IWC meeting to take forward recommendations that, among other things, a 2nd Workshop be convened. This took place at the end of October 2011 and was once again attended by invited experts.

Information on the proceedings of these workshops can be obtained by accessing the IWC's Website.
www.iwcoffice.org

 

Disentanglement of a whale is by no means the end of their problems. According to Dr Bob Bowman - an American expert on whale disentanglement, - disentanglement is only the first step in the recovery of an entangled whale. Entangled whales sustain significant bruising and even sometimes life threatening internal injuries that are imperceptible without a necropsy. It is very difficult to determine the extent and effect of injuries on entangled whales and they are frequently surprised about which whales survive entanglement trauma and which ones do not.

A humpback whale that became entangled in fishing nets was freed by members of the South African Whale Disentaglement Network (SAWDN) of Cape Point
on 21 June 2011. Rescuers are seen here trying to cut the ropes of the whale.
Picture by Chad Chapman

TRAINING: Mike Meyer (Oceans & Coasts) is Director of Operations and training and with colleagues regularly trains new volunteers as well as running refresher courses in various key areas around the coast. All these areas now have trained volunteers ready to go out to entangled whales at a moment’s notice. It has taken a great deal of time and effort to get this far and the Oceans & Coasts team doing this need to be commended, as training is done in their spare time. SAWDN is also fortunate to have the use of National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) boats and volunteers when needed and they are warmly thanked. Volunteers are not allowed to disentangle whales in rough weather.
Human safety comes first. This is a condition laid down in SAWDN’s Protocol.
SAWDN continues to go well and its efficient operation has been praised by overseas countries that have similar disentanglement Networks.

Traing Session: Volunteers at Simon's Town Harbour

WARNING: Under Section 3(1) of the Marine Living Resources Act (1998), NO-ONE unless trained and appointed by the Department may render assistance to trapped or entangled whales. These amendments to the Act were gazetted in July 2008.
Further, it is mandatory that all volunteers carry high risk insurance.

The Group is a 'Friend of The Enviropaedia': www.enviropaedia.com