CHATHAM, Mass. (AP) — A marine rescue team has freed a humpback whale that was entangled in fishing gear on Cape Cod.
The Provincetown-based Center for Coastal Studies’ Marine Animal Entanglement Response team disentangled the whale Friday in Chatham.
The center says recreational boaters reported the sighting and remained with the young and “relatively small” whale until help arrived. The whale had a fishing line through its mouth and was dragging heavy gear. The whale was able to lift some of the gear and make it to the ocean surface to breathe.
Rescuers used a 30-foot pole and a hook-shaped knife to cut part of the rope near the animal’s mouth. The center says the whale quickly swam away after it was freed, which is considered a good sign.
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