The Hawaiian Islands Whale Disentanglement Network rescue team freed four entangled humpback whales off Hawaii shores this whale season – double last year's rescue count.

While the higher number of reports could mean that more whales are becoming entangled, researchers think it represents a greater awareness and effort from the community.

"I think the increase is almost entirely due to an increasing awareness among the ocean community," said David Mattila, science and rescue coordinator for the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.

All four cases this season were reported by commercial boaters, who in most cases stayed with the whale until rescuers arrived. One company actually canceled its afternoon trip to stay with the animal, according to Ed Lyman, marine mammal response manager for the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.

"There's a definite theme this year, which is that the community is really helping us out," Lyman told The Maui News. "David and I may have jumped in the inflatable to cut these animals free, but it would not have been possible without the support of so many people and organizations."

For large whales, like Hawaii's humpbacks, entanglement may mean a slow death by starvation, may cause severe physical trauma from lines and nets cutting into the body, or may contribute to other threats like ship strikes.

Freeing a massive animal in the open ocean requires special training, and only "a handful of people" are qualified to do so, Mattila said.

Mattila and Lyman are the only people in Hawaii authorized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to disentangle the endangered whales. They are part of the Hawaiian Islands Whale Disentanglement Network, an umbrella group that includes state and federal wildlife officials.

Because they are the only people in Hawaii who can rescue these animals, the two men are on call 24 hours a day during whale season. This year, they responded to two rescues off Maui shores, one near the Big Island and another near Lanai.

From within the network of staff and volunteers involved in whale sanctuary projects, Lyman and Mattila are hoping to develop additional teams of rescuers, who will be gaining hands-on experience with Lyman and Mattila on the ocean.

"David and I can't always island hop and get to another island quickly to respond, so by having more people who can do this we can have a much faster response," Lyman said.

To be certified for whale rescues, a person must undergo classroom instruction and simulation training on the ocean. Those who show the most promise are invited to observe actual rescues, Mattila said.

"It's really important to see how people react to pulling up to a massive animal in a small little boat. We need to see how they handle the real life situation," he explained.

Borrowing a trick from whalers, rescue teams often "keg" a whale, or attach large floats to add drag and keep the whale from diving deep under water. Once the animal is tired, rescuers can approach it and cut it free with hook knives on poles.

"The technique we developed is such that no human is going to get into the water and wrestle a whale. We use the concepts developed by the early whalers and if you do it right it shouldn't be as challenging as you might think," Mattila explained.

Still, Lyman warned that rescue efforts should be left to the professionals.

"It can be dangerous," he said. "We're talking about 45-foot animals that weigh 40 tons or more. Not to mention that all of this is done in open ocean."

What began as a well-intentioned effort to rescue an ailing humpback whale caught in debris ended in tragedy for a man in New Zealand nearly four years ago. When the man dove into the water to cut the roped whale free the animal's fluke came down and killed him.

Situations like that are what Lyman and Mattila want to stop from happening again.

"People's first instinct is always the dangerous ones," said Mattila. "People think that we jump into the water to free these animals, but that is the last thing we want to do. We never get in the water and the only people who have been seriously injured or killed are the ones who got in the water."

Lyman estimated he has rescued about 50 animals during his career. Mattila said he has rescued about 70.

While Lyman agrees that saving an individual animal is satisfying, he hopes their efforts will eventually save thousands more whales. Researchers supporting the efforts of rescue teams study the marine debris found on whales to determine where it originated.

"The goal is not to cut every whale free, but to get information and go back to the fishermen and get them to modify their gear so that it's safer for the whales," he explained.

Over the last year, there have been three cases where whales have been tangled in Alaskan fishing gear, Lyman said. He said he will spend part of this summer in Alaska working with fisheries specialists to develop fishing gear that is less likely to entangle the animals.

"When you get the gear off the whale it's one piece of data in the overall problem of entanglement. The goal is not to cut every whale free, but to get information and go back to fishermen and modify their gear and make changes," Lyman said.