Watch incredible moment humpback whale entangled in fishing gear is freed after 4 days
A humpback whale was freed from over 50 ropes and fishing gear in a 4-day rescue off the western Canadian coast. Experts say such entanglements are on the rise, with at least 67 off US coasts in 2022.
A humpback whale has been rescued off of the western coast of Canada following a four-day struggle captured on video.
A team from the Fisheries and Oceans Canada Marine Mammal Rescue was able to free the whale from being entangled in over 50 ropes, fishing gear and floats.
"I've never seen anything like it," Paul Cottrell, marine mammal coordinator for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, told CBC radio. "The animal couldn't open its mouth and then the body wraps."
The effort took place between Sept. 2 and 6 as Cottrell was conducting a necropsy on a deceased fin whale in Prince Rupert, British Columbia.
"Our team was all there, all our equipment … so we actually went out with the satellite tag with the team and we were able to locate the whale," Cottrell recounted to the radio station.
The department credited the successful release of the whale to the rescue team and provincial fishery officers in a statement to Paste BN Monday.
Watch: Whale rescued after four-day struggle
Whale entanglements on rise
The number of large whale entanglements on the West coast of the United States is on the rise, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
In 2007, nine entanglements were recorded along the West coast, jumping to 46 in 2015. The number fell in 2020 but rose to 20 in 2021 and 26 in 2022.
There were 67 large whale entanglements off of all U.S. coasts in 2022.