Freeing whale of rope took fortune and grit
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Dec 08, 2009
Luck and persistence helped federal and state officials free a young humpback whale entangled in hundreds of feet of plastic rope.
The delicate operation was detailed yesterday by representatives of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Coast Guard and state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
Of concern were the stricken youngster's docile but massive mother swimming nearby — along with her male companion, who at one point appeared aggravated, rapidly circling the rescue boat and spouting.
"We had to watch that escort very carefully," said Ed Lyman, marine mammal response manager with NOAA's Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, who coordinated the rescue effort.
The operation Sunday at Penguin Bank, a submerged shelf extending from western Molokai, required slowing down the 25-foot whale so he could be safely approached by boat.
About 350 feet of rope was removed, seven feet of which was wrapped between and around the whale's mouth.
The agencies had been tracking the whale's movement since last Tuesday after it was spotted by a sunrise whale tour off of Maui. Rough sea conditions prevented team members from responding sooner.
The yearling was tagged with a telemetry buoy that had a GPS and satellite transmitter attached, helping officials track its movement. Sunday's sea conditions were ideal for crew members to rescue the yearling humpback whale after it was spotted from a Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter.
Twelve humpback whales have been rescued since 2003. Officials said whale rescues are not always successful.
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