A local rescue team has managed to save 48 pilot whales and five dolphins that had beached themselves on Tasmania's King Island late on Sunday.

The team of more than 150 people, including seasoned whale rescuers and dozens of King Island residents, worked through Monday in an effort to save a pod of about 200 pilot whales and seven bottlenose dolphins.

Despite the efforts by the local volunteers, 130 whales died by midday.

Department of Primary Industries and Water and Parks and Wildlife staff arrived on Monday morning to find all but 54 of the whales still alive.

By late in the day, most of those creatures that were still alive were herded to deeper water by rescuers using boats and personal watercraft.

Government staff will watch the remaining members of the pod overnight in a bid to prevent a repeat stranding, according to the a report of the Australian Associated Press.

Tasmania is the scene of roughly 80 percent of Australia's mass whale beachings - and this summer has been a busy one.

Last month, 48 sperm whales died when they became caught on a sand bar off Perkins Island, near Smithton on the Bass Strait coast.

(Xinhua News Agency March 3, 2009)