NOAA Clears Entangled Right Whale

Experts at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) concluded 2010, and began 2011, with an act of charity and compassion, when they helped untangle a right whale that had been trapped inside loose fishing nets.

The head and fins of the whale were nearly immobilized with more than 150 feet (some 45 meters) of rope, which dragged behind them two red buoys, to make fishermen's jobs easier.

State and federal biologists cooperated for this effort, which saw them removing a large portion of the rope from the animal's body, and then cut away whatever remained. The operation was an emergency, because the animal's life was endangered.

“We were very concerned about this whale as the entangling ropes appeared to be life threatening,” explains NOAA Fisheries Service Atlantic Large Whale Disentanglement Coordinator Jamison Smith.

“However, given the efforts of the disentanglement team we are optimistic the whale may shed the remaining ropes on its own, so we will continue to monitor its condition via aerial surveys and intervene again if necessary,” the expert adds.

This particular whale had been entangled since at least Christmas Day, when it was first discovered by a group of experts from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The team was conducting routine survey of waters off the coasts of Georgia and Florida.

This area is the only known right whale calving ground, and so experts keep a constant eye on it. Due to the aerial raids conducted by the FFWCC, ships in the area get ample warning about incoming whales, and can steer clear so as not to harm the mammals.

“Disentangling a right whale takes a great deal of planning, expertise, and coordination among agencies,” say experts at NOAA in a statement.

“Because of the speeds at which the animals move and distances they travel, it sometimes takes days or even weeks under ideal weather and oceanographic conditions to safely and successfully free an entangled whale,” they add.

Scientists from the Fisheries Service, the FWC, the Wildlife Trust, the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, and the New England Aquarium cooperated to untangle this young whale, which was born in the 2008-2009 calving season.

“With only 300-400 in existence, North Atlantic right whales are among the most endangered whales in the world,” the statement goes on to say.

“They are protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973 and the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. Vessel strikes and entanglement in fixed fishing gear are the two greatest threats to their recovery,” NOAA concludes.