Baleen was protruding from the whale’s mouth and its jaw was essentially wired shut by the wraps of line. Responders working from a small inflatable boat used a hooked knife on the end of a long pole to cut through some of the lines.
Credit: CCS image, NOAA permit #18786-03.
PROVINCETOWN – The Center for Coastal Studies Marine Animal Entanglement Response Team helped to partially disentangle a North Atlantic right whale Friday.
The entangled whale was initially discovered in the Gulf of St. Lawrence off Canada on July 4 by Transport Canada.
The whale was still highly mobile despite the extent of the entanglement. It was spotted again on July 19 by an aerial survey team from the Northeastern Fisheries Science Center and the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
A response team from the New England Aquarium was in the area and successfully attached a telemetry buoy to the whale to track its movements for disentanglement.
Over the next few weeks the marine mammal traveled east and then south. Canadian disentanglement teams made several attempts to free the animal and were able to make some cuts to the lines.
After traveling 900 miles the whale was tracked to just 60 miles east of Cape Cod on August 2, which was close enough for the MAER team to launch from Provincetown and attempt to disentangle the whale.
The National Marine Fisheries Services relayed telemetry data and the NEFSC aerial survey team flew ahead of the CCS on-water teams to locate the whale and guide responders.
When rescuers arrived they saw that the whale’s physical condition had deteriorated significantly.
It was thin and covered in whale lice, baleen was protruding from its mouth and line was wrapped around its head, basically wiring its mouth shut and preventing the animal from feeding. It had several open wounds and its right flipper was pinned to its body.
The configuration of the entanglement kept changing as the whale dove and resurfaced making the disentanglement complex.
The team added large floats and sea anchors to the entangled gear in an effort to slow the whale and keep it at the surface. The whale continued to evade approaches from responders between periods of being calm.
Over several hours, the MAER team used a specialized arrow fired from a crossbow to damage the lines around the whale’s head, and used hooked knives attached to long poles to cut through several selected lines.
The whale eventually submerged and the buoys and sea anchor went slack within minutes. The whale was spotted a quarter mile away shortly after diving.
The whale still had wraps of line through its mouth and over the top of its head, but researchers hope they will be shed as the whale resumes feeding.
“While the chances of its survival are much improved, the whale is by no means out of the woods,” said Scott Landry, director of MAER.
“Many people have worked very hard on this case over the last few weeks. We have done all we can do for this whale. This case really highlights that preventing entanglements will be key to conserving this species.”
North Atlantic right whales are critically endangered with only about 400 remaining.
Several have died this year off Canada and birth rates continue to remain low.
The whale was identified as #3125, an 18-year old male. The whale was last seen in Cape Cod Bay in March. Entanglement responders will try to keep an eye out for the whale and monitor it for any signs of improvement or decline.
More than 300 feet of heavy rope was removed from the whale.
Researchers will use the rescue and photographs to help better understand how, where, and when entanglements occur, along with informing decisions regarding entanglement mitigation and prevention.
Boaters are urged to report entanglement sightings of whales, sea turtles or sharks to the MAER team at 800-900-3622 or the US Coast Guard on VHF 16. They are also asked to stand by the animal at a safe distance until trained responders arrive.
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