Incredible community effort guides 'trapped' sperm whale from Shetland voe

When the first reports of a whale swimming inshore at Whiteness Voe reached Shetland wildlife experts, they expected to see a humpback. Exciting, but not uncommon.

Instead, they were astonished to discover a sperm whale, more used to swimming the ultradeep waters off the Shetland-Faroe Shelf.

In 30 years only a handful of sperm whales have been seen close to the shore in Shetland.

That meant the initial reaction was one of exhilaration, soon dampened by the realisation that this whale was confused, potentially unwell and at risk of stranding.

What happened next was a remarkable feat of community co-operation involving wildlife specialists, salmon farmers, local whale watchers and residents – one of whom bravely entered the water in his small boat in a bid to coax the immense animal back to deeper waters.

After the whale was first identified, members of the local whale watching community were among those who volunteered to keep a close eye on the animal. The longer it stayed in the voe, the more concerns grew for its welfare along with the realisation that action was needed.

No-one will ever know exactly why a sperm whale, part of the toothed whale family, found itself swimming into shallow waters on Shetland’s Westside. But one of the rescuers, Martin Robinson, believes it could have been linked to an earthquake that occurred in the days before.

The 4.9 magnitude quake struck around 111 miles northeast of Shetland on 21^st March. Felt widely across Shetland, it could have spooked the animal.

Whatever led the whale inshore, Martin, whose home overlooks Whiteness Voe, was directly involved in rescue efforts using his small boat to manoeuvre around the animal and guide it away from danger.

But the rescue was a true team effort that brought together Karen Hall of Nature Scot, Hugh Harrop of Shetland Wildlife,, a Scottish Sea Farms crew led by manager Robbie Coutts and a large group of local experts and enthusiasts.

One of the Shetland whale watchers was Sharon Jack who helped monitor the whale’s breathing rates and behaviour. Her effort – along with dozens of others – was so impressive, the whale was dubbed ‘Jack’ in recognition of her devotion to the rescue.

Karen explained that the monitoring, from the shore and by drone, meant they were able to establish that everything was “as normal as it can be” given that the whale could not deep dive. And although it had found relatively deeper water it was still reluctant to swim over the sill at the south of the voe, preventing it from heading back out to sea.

It was that kind of concern that prompted Martin to get more involved.

He runs a motor garage but is a Doctor of Marine Science who formerly worked at UHI Shetland’s Scalloway campus. His knowledge of marine animals and the waters in Whiteness Voe proved invaluable as he offered to take his boat up close and assess the whale’s welfare.

That initial interaction, on Tuesday 30^th March a week after the whale had first been seen, convinced Martin the animal was healthy, but was confused and ‘trapped’ in the shallow waters of the voe.

Martin knew without radical action the whale probably wouldn’t survive, which is when he contacted Hugh Harrop offering to help and called in support from the salmon farming company as well as his neighbour and business partner John Burns.

Martin and John’s early efforts were partially successful, guiding the animal into deeper water beyond the Böd of Nesbister – crucial given the way the tide was turning.

“We did two hours, and it was almost aground stuck between rocks and the shore,” said Martin. “I was able to move it and point it in the right direction.”

While the initial phase of monitoring the whale from the shore and by drone was crucial in establishing whether it was healthy and could be saved, once the whale began to move to the south of the voe, the decision was taken for the two local boats to gently approach and see if it could be encouraged into deeper water.

The following day the Scottish Sea Farms’ vessels joined the effort on what was a bitterly cold day in choppy waters. So began, a crucial six-hour effort as the boats collectively tried to shepherd the immense animal, visually aided by the ‘eyes-in-the-sky’ using drones to assess the reaction of the whale, piloted by Hugh Harrop, Gary Buchan and Vivian Clark

“It would swim for a while and then it would stop,” said Martin. “I’m convinced its sonar was confusing it. We were thinking, ‘Is it going to make it?’.”

Martin’s matter of fact description belies the extraordinary nature of what was occurring. Something he acknowledges when pushed.

“It was a magnificent thing to see but we all just wanted to get the job done. At one point it looked like it wasn’t going to work. It was stuck but eventually it turned and rolled off.”

Further gentle encouragement from the boats helped guide the animal out towards the island of Hildasay and the much deeper water beyond.

Martin describes the moment it began to look like all the effort had been successful – when the whale suddenly started swimming at speed and then disappeared into the deep.

“It was a buzz and a half, the euphoria of it. It was an incredible thing to be involved in and a privilege to be near it. It’s a good news story.”

Indeed, it is, and Karen is full of praise for everyone who got involved to guide the magnificent animal slowly and carefully to its natural habitat.

She said: “The whole six-hour operation was conducted slowly and calmly and most importantly, at the pace of the whale. We had noticed from the several days of observations that the whale would have a short period of activity followed by a period of rest where it would drift on the surface. During the rest periods the boats would hang back until the whale made signs of movement before continuing to encourage its movement south.

“Finally when the boat crews managed to shepherd the whale past Hildasay, and into deeper water they noticed a real change in its behaviour – swimming freely and then diving. A good sign, as that is the sort of behaviour you would expect in deeper water.”

That it was achieved by such a collective effort makes it extra special, “nothing short of incredible”.

All to help a lost sperm whale, nicknamed Jack.

Those 10 days when the whale took up residence in Whiteness Voe, causing concern and amazement, will long be remembered.