Updated at 5:09 p.m., Saturday, March 3, 2007
Whale tangled in line freed off Maui
Advertiser Staff
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Several tour boat operators called the report in to the NOAA Fisheries Marine Mammal Response Hotline, which notified the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, the coordinators of the Hawaiian Islands Disentanglement Network.
They responded with help of the Coast Guard from Ma'alaea Harbor.
Many tour boat operators stood by the animal until the rescuers arrived.
The entangled humpback was a adult male with heavy gauge line running through its mouth and under its flippers, and twisted up like a bridle just behind the animal's dorsal fin. Lines trailed approximately another 50 feet and included two polyball buoys.
The entanglement was life threatening, NOAA said.
The response team arrived within 2 hours and began adding buoys to the entangling gear to slow the animal down and keep it at the surface so it could be safetly cut free.
The team launched, pulled themselves up behind the animal and cut the line running along the right side of the animal. The remaining gear was pulled from the whale's mouth, freeing the animal of all gear.
The gear was recovered and will be analyzed to provide information to help reduce the rate of entanglements.
The whale has a chance of surviving its ordeal thanks to the efforts of many people in a community effort.
