Canadian and American rescuers freed an entangled humpback whale after a two-day operation in the Juan de Fuca Strait.
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A humpback whale entangled in fishing gear around its dorsal fin was cut loose after a two-day, multi-agency rescue effort involving Canadian and American crews in the Juan de Fuca Strait.
The whale was first spotted on Friday off the west coast of Vancouver Island by crew on the Canadian Coast Guard Ship John P. Tully, which reported the distressed animal. By the time the response began, the whale was trailing rope and several floats while it straddled the international boundary.
The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) said its Marine Mammal Rescue Unit led the operation, with support from fishery officers and members of the Canadian Coast Guard Ship M. Charles.
As part of the effort, a satellite tag was placed on the gear to help track the whale during the response. DFO said the coordination across agencies and the cross-border nature of the mission were key to reaching a successful outcome.
The Marine Mammal Rescue Unit, led by Paul Cottrell, also received help from the U.S.-based NOAA Fisheries West Coast Rescue Team, particularly in the difficult task of cutting away the ropes.
On Sunday, Cottrell was eventually able to make a last cut with a pole knife, and the whale swam free.
DFO said this was the second entanglement rescue in as many months for crews working on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border. In early August, DFO, NOAA Fisheries and the Cetus Research and Conservation Society joined forces to free a humpback calf that had been traveling with its mother.
In that earlier case, DFO said the calf had more than 300 feet of rope and a buoy wrapped around a pectoral fin, and that rescuers followed the whales as they moved in zig-zags along the border.
DFO urged boaters that if they see a whale in distress, they should keep a safe distance and never try to remove entangled gear themselves, and instead report the sighting right away so trained experts can respond. The most recent rescue underscores the role of coordinated regional action when entanglements occur near international waters.
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