CHATHAM, MASS. (WHDH) - A humpback whale was disentangled from a buoy line Thursday afternoon off of Chatham.
The Marine Animal Entanglement Response team from the Center for Coastal Studies disentangled the whale after a charter vessel discovered the humpback early Thursday morning.
The charter vessel reported the tangled whale to the CCS hotline and stood by the humpback until they were relieved by a crew from the United States Coast Guard station Chatham. USCG Chatham stood by until the CCS team, accompanied by trainees from Cascadia Research Collective and SR3, arrived on scene.
The female humpback, identified as the 2015 calf of Jabiru, had a buoy line lodged in her mouth and wrapped over her head. The trailing end of the line extended about 40 feet behind her flukes.
The MAER team established a control line on the entanglement and used a hook knife on the end of a long pole to make several strategic cuts through the entanglement. Buoys and a drogue were attached to one end of the remaining line and as the humpback swam off, the rest of the entanglement slipped out of its mouth.
When the whale resurfaced about a quarter of a mile away the crew aboard the R/V Ibis said the whale appeared to be gear free.
The MAER team thanked the charter vessel, USCG Chatham, and the trainees for all their help on this case.
The CCS says that boaters are urged to report any entanglement sightings of whales, sea turtles or sharks to the MAER team at 1-800-900-3622 or the US Coast Guard on VHF 16, and to stand by the animal at a safe distance until trained responders arrive.
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