Provincetown whale disentanglement team performs second rescue in two days (Massachusetts, USA)

The Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies rescue team assesses the condition of the humpback Serengeti, whose flukes are visible at the surface, before beginning the disentanglement (Image taken under NOAA permit 932-1905). Photo courtesy Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies

Jul 07, 2012. PROVINCETOWN – On Friday afternoon, experts in the rarefied field of whale disentanglement raced for the second time in two days to the scene of a humpback mired in fishing gear in the waters east of Chatham.

The Marine Entanglement Response Team from the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies successfully freed the humpback, a known whale named Serengeti, from a lethal snarl of fishing line that was anchored to heavy gear on the seafloor. The line had caught in the whale’s mouth and wrapped around its head, making normal breathing difficult for the whale, Coastal Studies said in a press release.

The team used a grappling hook to secure the rope beneath the whale, then made a single cut, using a hooked knife attached to the end of a 30-foot pole, to release the animal from the entanglement.

The Coast Guard, local fishermen and recreational boaters cooperated by reporting and standing by the whale.

Though bruised by the entanglement, the team expects the whale to make a good recovery. Scars from the entanglement will be monitored by Coastal Studies’ humpback whale studies program as part of a long-term project to better understand the impact of entanglements on the humpback population.

Mariners are urged to quickly report any entangled whales, sea turtles or other marine animals to the Marine Animal Entanglement Response Hotline (1-800-900-3622) or the U.S. Coast Guard and stand by the animal at a safe distance until trained responders arrive.

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