2 weeks Ago By Juliette Kessler
An entangled adult gray whale was successfully freed after being trapped by a gillnet off the Palos Verdes Peninsula, California, according to officials. The whale, which first caught the attention of onlookers on April 8, was reported to have been anchored by a rock crab trap that was ensnared in the gillnet, making it difficult for the whale to reach the surface and breathe. In a statement obtained by KTLA, NOAA Fisheries spokesperson Justin Greenman relayed the dire situation, emphasizing that the trap pinned the whale about 100 feet down on the seafloor.
To rapidly respond to the emergency, a trained and authorized team, including members from the Marine Mammal Care Center of Los Angeles and Lifeguards from Los Angeles County, was dispatched. On April 9, they managed to track down and work swiftly for approximately 2 hours to free the whale. "The whale was anchored in place because of the trap about 100 feet down on the sea floor and was having difficulty coming to the surface to breathe," Justin Greenman, the assistant California stranding coordinator for NOAA Fisheries’ West Coast Region, told NOAA Fisheries.
A series of techniques, including the use of aerial drones and underwater cameras, were deployed by the team to document the entanglement and strategize the whale's release. The entanglement included a green gillnet tightly wrapped around the whale's tail and was initially discovered by whale watchers the evening prior. To ensure they could relocate the whale if it swam off, a tracking buoy was attached to the net.
Once the gear was comprehensively cut away, the whale was observed to swim away rapidly. Justin Viezbicke, California stranding coordinator for NOAA Fisheries, who led the response, said, "It wasn’t going anywhere because of the way the net was caught." He also noted, without their intervention, the survival odds for the whale were very low, according to information provided by NOAA Fisheries.
NOAA Fisheries urges the public to only let trained and authorized teams handle entangled whales, highlighting the importance of the Large Whale Entanglement Response Program and the West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network. These initiatives play a crucial role and often rely upon public reports for quick responses. To report an entangled marine mammal, the public is advised to contact NOAA’s Entanglement Reporting Hotline at (877) SOS-WHALe/(877) 767-9425.
For other marine emergencies, NOAA’s Enforcement Hotline is available at (800) 853-1964..
