Sea World and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services worked together to rescue the dolphin before returning it to Moreton Bay.
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) Marine Park Rangers and specialist staff from Sea World have returned a young bottlenose dolphin back off the coast of Brisbane following its rescue and recovery from a significant wound caused by severe fishing line entanglement.
The female dolphin has spent the past month at Sea World’s veterinary rehabilitation facility recovering from a partial amputation of its dorsal fin, resulting from extensive damage caused by yards of fishing line digging into the animal for an extended period of time.
Between December 2022 and March 2023, DES received multiple reports of a dolphin with fishing line wrapped around its dorsal fin and tail, seen approaching boats near Harry Atkinson Artificial Reef in Moreton Bay.
The dolphin has been approaching boats for food daily, suggesting is has been fed by people for some time and learned to associate boats with an easy food source.
On 16 March 2023, rangers worked with Sea World staff, and commercial fishers to temporarily catch the dolphin using a net, in an attempt to remove the line.
