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A juvenile humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) tangled in the opening of Alaska’s Endicott Arm was successfully freed after a multi-agency rescue mission. Endicott Arm is a narrow fjord located about 50 miles southeast of Juneau. While remote, it is a major destination for cruise ships and commercial fishing vessels that can pose a risk to whales and other marine animals.
According to a June 24 NOAA release, several mariners noticed the entangled juvenile whale on the night of May 10 and reported the sighting to NOAA Fisheries’ Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Network 24-hour hotline. The whale was caught on lines from two commercial Tanner crab pots. Since each pot weighs about 800 pounds, they essentially acted as anchors for the animal, preventing it from moving.
The sailors’ alert allowed regional coordinators to develop their response plan in a timely manner. “We form a network of eyes in the water: boat crews that coordinate real-time updates with each other and relay them to us,” Suzie Teerlink, NOAA fisheries marine mammal specialist, said in a statement. “That communication was critical. It gave us insight into the nature of the entanglement, helped us develop a safe response plan, and gave us confidence that we could relocate the whale.”
A response team consisting of biologists from NOAA Fisheries, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s marine mammal program, and local Alaska Sea to Shore partners mobilized the next day. They worked more than five hours to make four precise cuts that freed the whale from the pots and most of the tangled lines.
“Cutting gear off an animal this size can be dangerous,” said John Moran, a NOAA research fisheries biologist and advanced responder on the team. “We use long poles fitted with specialized knives to extend our reach. This allows us to cut lines while reducing the risk of being injured by a 40-tonne animal.”
Rescuers are hopeful that the remains will eventually fall off the whale.
Entanglements are a major problem in Alaska. Since 1998, there have been more than 140 confirmed reports of large whales becoming entangled. That number is likely much higher, since many entanglements go unreported. Unable to move, animals can drown or starve, develop life-threatening infections, and can be hit by ships.
“We are incredibly grateful to the whale watching community and everyone who reported this entangled whale to the NOAA Fisheries Hotline,” said Sadie Wright, large whale entanglement response coordinator for NOAA Alaska Fisheries Region. “The details provided by the public allowed our response team to prepare and execute a safe response to this potentially deadly entanglement, leading to a successful outcome.”
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