Germany expects further whale strandings amid latest rescue attempt

The environment minister of the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern expects further whale strandings on German coasts in the future, after a high-profile saga involving a humpback whale that has repeatedly become stuck in the Baltic Sea.

"The next whale is bound to turn up," said Till Backhaus, before the start of a private rescue operation for the whale in the shallow waters off the small Baltic Sea island of Poel on Thursday.

The 12.35-metre animal has been stranded four times off Germany's Baltic coast since the beginning of March.

It most recently got stuck off Poel Island in the Bay of Wismar earlier this month. All rescue attempts for the struggling whale were called off, as experts said they expected the animal to die in the bay, but it has remained alive for more than a week.

Backhaus also referred to a beluga whale that has been sighted off Flensburg. "This means we will have to continue addressing the issue."

Backhaus called for inter-regional coordination to deal with future strandings, and told the television channel News5 that the Maritime Emergency Command was a suitable body for this.

The command was established by Germany's federal government and coastal states to deal with shipping accidents, and has scientists and technical resources at its disposal.

Backhaus said he had submitted a proposal concerning the issue for the conference of Germany's environment ministers in May. He was convinced that the proposal would be approved.

"Money must also be invested here," Backhaus continued, adding that the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation should "find solutions" for staffing and investment.