ARCHIVED - Trapped 18 metre long finback whale steered safely back out to sea in Valencia region

Giant 50 tonne whale spends hours trapped in port before rescuers guide it back out to sea on the Costa Blanca.

A team of conservationists, police and volunteers managed to guide a 50 tonne, 18-metre long finback whale safely back out to open sea after the magnificent creature became trapped for several hours in a Valencia port.

The 'Balaenoptera physalus', the second-largest species on the planet, became disorientated and found itself stuck in an inner docking area surrounding the Real Club Náutico de Valencia sports association, according to the Red Cross (Cruz Roja).

The whale had suffered "superficial wounds" caused by rubbing against one or more boats while trying to escape the confinements of the dock on Wednesday, July 7, but was otherwise in good health, says the Oceanogràfic Foundation

[#MedioAmbiente] 🐳
Hoy hemos participado con @Oceanografic_vl @RCN_Valencia @guardiacivil @policialocalvlc y @UV_EG en la reorientación de una #ballena de 18m y 50 toneladas que se había quedado nadando en la dársena interior del @RCN_Valencia
Feliz desenlace 😃 #SerMejores pic.twitter.com/urcxuM9Ho2

— Cruz Roja en Valencia (@CruzRojaVLC) July 7, 2021

After several attempts  - in a "great coordinated effort" by technicians from the Ministry of Agriculture, the NGO Xaloc, the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), Red Cross, Guard Civil, Local Police, Valencia Charter and the Real Club Nautico de Valencia - the impressive creature was finally guided by several boats to the mouth of the port, where it managed to get out to sea, and headed south.

Once it was out of danger, the Oceanogràfic Foundation performed a remote biopsy with a crossbow adapted for use in conservation work that allows a small sample to be taken to obtain data on the biology of these whales as part of the UPV's CaboRorcual project.

The objective is to analyse the presence, origin of and threats faced by the whales in Cabo de la Nao, located in the Gulf of Valencia, and the Ibiza channel. 

In this case, the team was authorised to safely approach the animal and get it out of port, say Xaloc, which has reminded the public that there is a navigation protocol in case of sightings of cetaceans, which prohibits people and leisure boats to get closer less than 60 meters.

Anybody who sees a marine animal trapped or in obvious distress is asked to call 112 immediately.

While not a common sight in the area, it's not unheard of either as the mammals make their annual southward migration, staying close to the coastline in search for food. They can grow up to 27 metres in length, weighing up to 100 tonnes.

A group visiting the coast of Cabo de Palos in south-eastern Murcia were lucky enough to witness two finback whales last week, as they surfaced for air.

IMAGE: Cruz Roja