Cdr Craig Piccolo
Commanding Officer of Nanoose Bay CFMETR

  • On Aug 27, CFMETR and DFO collaborated to rescue a humpback whale entangled in a buoy and line system in the Strait of Georgia. 
  • The rescue demonstrated strong inter-agency coordination and commitment to environmental stewardship

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Quick action and strong coordination between the Canadian Forces Maritime Experimental and Test Ranges (CFMETR) and the Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) recently led to the successful rescue of a distressed humpback whale in the Strait of Georgia. 

At approximately 10:15 a.m. on Aug 27, Mickael El-Hachem, a King’s Harbour Master (KHM) crew member aboard the Canadian Forces Auxiliary Vessel (CFAV) Stikine, spotted what appeared to be a buoy moving unnaturally in water two nautical miles away. Upon closer inspection, by 10:30 a.m. the crew identified it to be a humpback whale entangled in a buoy and line system in the northeast portion of Area Whiskey Golf.  

The whale appeared to be in distress, prompting Captain Bill Lawrenuk, Commanding Officer of CFAV Stikine to immediately notify Lieutenant(Navy) Donald MacDonald, Range Officer, and Melina Sorensen, Environmental Officer. Sorensen then contacted the DFO, which dispatched Paul Cottrell, Marine Mammal Coordinator, and two fisheries officers to the scene. Cottrell noted that efforts to locate and free the whale had been underway for several days. 

Supported by orders from Commander Craig Piccolo, CFMETR Commanding Officer, all operations were placed on standby to prioritize the whale’s rescue. As such, Stikine remained at the scene, continuing to monitor the animal’s speed, direction, and behaviour from a safe distance.  

DFO arrived at 12:45 p.m. and, following a brief assessment, carefully devised a collaborative disentanglement plan with Stikine. Upon DFO’s request, CFMETR’s security vessel Ranger 3 was tasked to provide rescue support as needed.  

By 4 p.m., DFO reported that the buoy and lines had been successfully disentangled from the whale, which was in stable condition. In addition to exhibiting the coordination and readiness of CFMETR and DFO personnel, the successful whale rescue highlighted the importance of ongoing environmental stewardship.