On Wednesday, the crew on board “Klævtind” from the fishing village Bleik on Andøya experienced a catch they would rather have been without. – Fortunately, this rarely happens, says the skipper on board. Glenn-Thomas Madsen and the crew of five on board the “Klævtind” by Bleik got a somewhat unusual catch on Wednesday. It was the newspaper vol.no that first mentioned the case. The third time he gets whales in the net Madsen has more than 30 years of experience as a net fisherman. The last time he got this type of unwanted bycatch was with the old boat more than seven years ago. Last Wednesday it happened for the third time. He describes it as an accident they could not have avoided. The humpback whale has first swum through the net, then he has got stuck on the track. He has not managed to get away from there, so then he has drowned. This time nothing was destroyed and the fishermen salvaged the net. They quickly caught the unusual catch on deck. – He was so far easy to deal with when we got him up, he just hung on the track. He was not terribly big either, so then it was okay to drag him in. Had he been a little bigger, we would not have made it, says Madsen. Would like to avoid it When they are out at sea in summer they are used to seeing large herds of the beautiful animal. It is not without reason that whale watching has for many years been popular with tourists who come to Vesterålen. The skipper is aware that they would like to avoid getting the whale in use. – We hit the track and hung him on the side. Because suddenly someone got meat hungry and cut some steaks. He was still warm, and then it is possible to do so. Humpback whale Photo: Tor Andre Johannessen A large dolphin species found in cold waters in both the northern and southern hemispheres. In the North Atlantic, they are found both along the coast and more pelagically in the waters around Greenland and Iceland. In summer, they swim from the British Isles and north to southern Svalbard. Humpback whales are one of the most commonly reported whale species in mass strandings. Strandings can involve only one individual, but most often the whole flock is stranded. The humpback whale is black or dark gray in color except for a lighter area behind the dorsal fin. It has a strong physique with a thick tail root that is compressed on the sides and round head shape. The males are significantly larger than the females, usually 5-6 meters long. The females are 4-4.7 meters long. Source: Norwegian Polar Institute Wanted in the Faroe Islands In Norway, only minke whales are allowed to be caught, and only for boats that have a permit. In the Faroe Islands, the humpback whale is in demand for food. There they drive entire flocks towards land in narrow coves and kill them. – We have seen what they are doing in the Faroe Islands and knew that the meat is well edible. None of us are skilled people like the whalers, but we took off the back pieces. Did the steak taste good? – I have not heard anything but that it was the best they have tasted. I grilled a steak myself at home and it was absolutely superb. Do not smile and thumbs up Madsen thinks there is a lot of emotion in the picture when it comes to whales. Still, they chose to post a picture of the unusual catch on social media. – We have been silenced before if we have lined up with a smile and a thumbs up in front of such a catch. So we have now learned that we should not do that. Someone would think that it is cruel for a whale to go in the net in this way? – We did not have the opportunity to avoid it. It’s as handy an accident as it can be, and it’s rarely costly. So when the accident happened, it was not so bad that it was not good for anything, is not that what you use to say? Between 3,000 and 4,000 porpoises drown in nets during a year in Norway. Photo: Institute of Marine Research Eating the net Whale researcher at UiT Norway’s Arctic University, Audun Rikardsen, tells news that this is a known problem in herring and mackerel fishing. Both fishermen and researchers have long seen the whale use the fishing boats to get a free meal. – They can try to pick fish out of the net, we have seen that the whales can do. The humpback whale is a species of whale with a slightly funny reputation. It is known for being mischievous and inventing many tricks. – It is often seen in large herds and is very social animals, says Rikardsen. Whale researcher Audun Rikardsen believes that it is an ethical problem for whales to drown in fishing nets. Photo: ODD ARNE OLDERBAKK / news Known problem The whale researcher says that i.a. 3000–4000 porpoises drown in nets every year. The humpback whale is not the most common to get in the net, but also not uncommon. – Right now there are very many humpback whales in the area from Vesterålen and in Troms. It is not pleasant for either the animal or the fishermen when whales drown in the net, but unfortunately it is difficult to do anything about it, says Rikardsen. Rikardsen says that there is no danger to the population, but that it is an ethical problem that the whales drown. – We are trying to take action. We are now working on a project where we use sound to keep the whales away from the fisheries. Then we have to use sound that they are not used to and that is experienced as unpleasant, the researcher says.
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– Fortunately, it is rare that this happens – news Nordland
