PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CENTER FOR COASTAL STUDIES
A young humpback whale is freed Friday by the Center for Coastal Studies’ Marine Animal Entanglement Response Team.
PROVINCETOWN – The status of an entangled humpback whale which was freed Friday will remain unknown until scientists are able to spot it again.
According to the Marine Animal Entanglement Response team, a pair of agitated whales were spotted off Provincetown by whale watchers on the Dolphin Fleet.
One of the young humpbacks was towing rope and buoys that were lodged in the animal’s mouth. The other happened to be an individual the team had freed in April, according to team officials.
The whales moved at an unpredictable speed and direction, which team members said made the effort difficult.
The whale was completely disentangled and future sightings of it will help scientists monitor its health.
The team advises boaters in the northeast to report any such sightings to the Marine Animal Entanglement Response Hotline 1-800-900-3622 or the Coast Guard, and to stand by the animal at a safe distance until trained responders arrive.
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