Local news
Responders used a hook-shaped knife at the end of a 30-foot pole to free the young whale.
View of a humpback whale after its release. Center for Coastal Studies
A humpback whale entangled in fishing gear was rescued Sunday off the coast of Massachusetts, the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown announced.
Late in the morning, recreational boaters reported a whale struggling in a buoy line attached to fishing gear in the Stillwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, CCS said in a report. press release.
The center’s marine animal entanglement response team responded to the area and found a relatively small whale with a rope wrapped several times around the base of its tail. The entanglement effectively pinned the whale, forcing it to spend most of its time at the surface, according to CCS.
With winds expected to increase, rescuers moved quickly. Using a hook-shaped knife at the end of a 30-foot pole, the team made a series of cuts to remove the ropes, CCS said.
After the whale was released, it remained on the surface while the MAER team watched it gradually regain movement, CCS added.
Although the whale suffered injuries as a result of the entanglement, responders said they were “reasonably confident” it would recover.
The whale has been spotted repeatedly by whale watch operators over the past month due to deep but healing wounds around its body before entanglement, according to CCS. Researchers in the organization’s humpback whale studies program are working to identify the animal.
“It was truly wonderful to have so many people and organizations help in this case,” Bob Lynch, assistant director of MAER, said in the release. “So, the whale has a much better prognosis.”
CCS credited several agencies and organizations with assisting in the rescue, including NOAA Fisheries, Massachusetts Environmental Police, TowBoatUS, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the National Marine Sanctuary for Humpback Whales in the Hawaiian Islands.
“It was an honor to help this whale and it is great to continue the collaboration between our teams,” said Maria Harvey, from HIHWNMS.
Subscribe to our newsletter today
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered straight to your inbox every morning.