Humpback whale washes up on Scottish peninsula with 'significant entanglement injuries'

The young male was spotted ashore the Kintyre peninsula, near the ferry terminal at Claonaig which takes passengers to Arran.

The mammal has been measured and sampled by the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) after it was reported on Friday.

While the cause of death is yet to be determined, and initial assessment of the whale showed it was a healthy animal but had significant entanglement injuries.

Phil Dickinson, a SMASS volunteer, helped record the stranded animal.

He said: “The animal was healthy, there was a lot of blubber. But the wounds are extensive. The wounds around the fluke are about 200ml deep and there’s evidence of rope cutting into its tail.

“At the moment we just have an initial conclusion and that is it was a healthy animal and had very significant entanglement injuries.”

Mr Dickinson said those working in stranding schemes are keen to keep working with inshore fisheries and fishermen in order to reduce entanglement incidents by training and equipment modifications.

It comes after two humpback whales were rescued from fishing lines off the coast of Skye within days of each other.

Last month, rescuers freed a whale that became entangled in a rope at Invertote salmon farm, near the island’s Rigg.

British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BSMLR) said the animal had been “visibly entangled in rope” at the fish farm and was “unable to swim freely”.

Earlier this month, two Scots fishermen rescued a humpback whale that had also become entangled in rope off the coast of Skye.

The two creel fishermen had been trained by the Scottish Entanglement Alliance (SEA), and so were able to respond following reports of the trapped marine mammal.

At the time, Ellie MacLennan, SEA project coordinator at the University of Glasgow, said the incident was a “great example” of the important fishermen play in in entanglement mitigation.