A whale entangled in fishing gear off of Maui was freed on Christmas Day by rescuers led by the Hawaiian Islands Entanglement Response Team.

According to NOAA's Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, the team launched from Maalaea harbor following a report of an injured whale from an ocean tour operator.
By 6 p.m., the team, staff from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adinistration’s Fisheries Pacific Islands Regional Office and the Sanctuary, assisted by U.S. Coast Guard Station Maui, had removed most of the line that was cutting into the whale’s tail.
Rescuers believe that an anchor hanging below its tail was also removed.