Researchers say a record number of humpback whales are heading north along Australia's eastern coastline, after another whale was entangled off New South Wales.
A specialist disentanglement crew has freed the whale off Norah Head on the Central Coast after it was spotted earlier Tuesday morning.
Jessica Fox from ORRCA, a whale rescue and research organisation, said rescue operations were often complex.
"They need to assess and work out how to systematically release that whale in a way that's safe for the whale and the people involved," she said.
"It's like trying to wrangle a labrador puppy the size of a bus or car."
ORRCA said it was assisting the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) with the operation.
Andrew Bayley from NPWS said crews only attempted to disentangle a caught whale if it was deemed safe.
"If it's safe to do so then they'll get close enough to the whale, if it's travelling slow enough, to cut away the entanglements," he said.
Mr Bayley said the whale was caught in a SMART drumline.
It is the second reported whale entanglement in the past week off the New South Wales coast.
A baby humpback whale was disentangled during a "complex" operation off the Illawarra coast on Saturday afternoon.
More whales sighted this season
More than 40,000 humpback whales make their way along the state's coastline during their northern migration between May and November every year.
Ms Fox said ORRCA had been researching their movements for more than 20 years and had seen more humpback whales than ever during the past week.
"We're witnessing and observing greater numbers than we've ever had for the first week of June," she said.
"With these increased numbers means that there's more likelihood of these sorts of incidents."
