Months on from the mass whale stranding on Tasmania's west coast, a fuller picture of where the surviving whales wound up has been provided, with electronic trackers showing they made it 300 kilometres south of the state.
In September, 230 whales were discovered washed up on Strahan's Ocean Beach shore, exactly two years after a similar mass stranding event in the same town.
After a massive rescue effort, a number of whales were able to be refloated, with tracking devices attached to five of them before they were released into deeper waters.
Now, the department of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE) has confirmed two of the five whales headed south of the state in the three weeks after the stranding event, exhibiting normal, healthy behaviours.
"That was fantastic to see," NRE wildlife biologist Kris Carlyon said, noting that, unfortunately, three re-stranded and did not survive.
"To see them exhibit this behaviour, this sort of restricted area searching that suggested feeding, that was the icing on the cake for us.
"One of the things we often hear from people on the beach is, 'should we be doing this? Is this actually going to work?'
"And we've got this great information now that says: 'Yes, these animals do survive — and all that effort was well worth it'."
He said this data gave the department confidence that the other released whales also successfully got back to safe paths.
"What it does say is that our techniques that we use — and the really huge effort that went into this refloat effort from government, from industry, from community, from volunteers — [works]."
Answers as to what specifically caused this stranding, however, remain just out of reach.
"In a lot of cases, we probably will never know the exact cause. And there's probably multiple factors that all contribute at once — like a perfect storm," Dr Carlyon said.
"The fact that we had a second event in the same location at the same time of year [two years previously] … involving several hundred animals each, suggests that there's probably something seasonal in it.
"But I think [it's] a combination of factors, likely driven by some sort of seasonal influence."
One of the next steps, he said, was to look at what made Macquarie Heads such a whale trap, and to explore if any mitigation measures were possible.
Trackers follow in real time
Attached to the animal in a method not dissimilar to piercing an ear, the trackers used by NRE are smaller than a mobile phone, and were attached to the trailing edge of each whale's dorsal fin.
"The animal essentially doesn't notice it's there," Dr Carlyon said.
"They're very hydrodynamic and they're not interfering with swimming behaviour, etc."
That device then talks to a satellite network, sending a signal up every time the animal surfaces from the water, with the journey able to be followed online in real time.
Eventually, the device will fall off leaving the whale free to go about its business, untracked.
Spotlight on role of volunteers, stakeholders
While not a situation anyone wanted, lessons learned through the 2020 stranding were clear in how the 2022 event was handled, Dr Carlyon said.
Discussions are underway on how to prepare for future events and an area-specific emergency management plan has been developed.
Conversations are also taking place with aquaculture companies in the region to formalise arrangements on what sorts of support they will be able to offer should a similar event happen again, with their assistance having proved vital.
The role of volunteers, Dr Carlyon said, was another factor being looked at closely, with some frustration arising in September when community members were asked to stay away.
This in-house focus was set to remain, he said, but noted the department was looking to upscale its on-site training capabilities for when community members were required.
Awareness sessions for what to do if you see a beached whale — or what a rescue effort may look like and involve — are also being considered for areas like Strahan, where repeated events have occurred.
"One of the challenges is always managing the massive number of people [who] want to come and help," Dr Carlyon said.
"We really appreciate that … but we also need to be able to manage and control that space."
Each stranding 'unique'
Cory Young — president of Wildcare Tasmania's whale first response team — said he appreciated this approach was likely to be frustrating for those who have been waiting to undertake whale rescue training.
He said his phone had been flooded with calls and emails from Tasmanians wanting to lend a hand, during both the 2020 and 2022 events.
However, he said, ultimately this decision made sense.
"Strahan is a great example — a four-hour drive from Hobart, a four-hour drive from Launceston," Mr Young said.
"It's easy to train those people up [who] are already there, and get them in the water and saving whales, rather than waiting for four hours and turning people away [who] are already invested.
"The primary challenge is the fact that each stranding is unique and requires specific training for each specific stranding," he said.
"When I attended the 2020 stranding, we were basically retrained on the beach anyway.
"So, having trained volunteers ready to go is certainly great — however, they're basically easy to train on the beach on the day."
