The report of a dolphin entangled in a mooring rope, with buoy trailing behind, sent our team, DELWP and the Marine Rescue Unit into action again, for the second time within eight days.
Using DRI’s vessel, we surveyed the waters off Somers, Balnarring and Merricks and found a small group of dolphins. We think they are the local, resident dolphins.
None had an entanglement but two had dark marks around their heads that looked consistent with bruises caused by a rope.
We are confident that we would have seen a white buoy being towed by a dolphin, if it had been in the area.
As there have been no further reports, we strongly suspect that these were the dolphins and that the one that seemed to be entangled had worked it out.
This was a great outcome and testament to working together.