Rescuers hunt for endangered blue whale caught in fishing line off California coast
Rescuers in California are hunting for a blue whale that has been caught in fishing line for a second day Tuesday, after efforts to disentangle it Monday failed.
Staff from Captain Dave's Dolphin and Whale Safari spotted the creature on the first trip of the day at the start of the week, according to the Dana Point company's Facebook page.
Blue whales are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
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The whale, which is thought to be some 80 feet long, was caught up in Dungeness crab lines and traps connected to floats, which could potentially be wrapped around its mouth or pectoral flippers, the company said.
"The line stretches to the back of its fluke, and then drops down, so the entanglement [is] weighing the whale down," they added.
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The crew tried to untangle the whale Monday, but had to abandon efforts after it began showing signs of distress, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Michael Milstein said, according to local reports.
The whale "appeared to become more uncomfortable," each time they tried to untangle it, he added.
Captain Dave's posted footage of the whale to YouTube Tuesday.
"This whale is healthy and not skinny," a man says over the PA system in the clip, adding: "This whale's only chance to make it is if we can get it disentangled."
Rescuers attached a telemetry buoy to the whale in an attempt to track it, but had to remove it, Millstein told Mashable Tuesday.
A total of 61 whales were reported as entangled off the coasts of Washington, Oregon and California in 2015, the highest annual total since records began in 1982, according to a NOAA fact sheet provided to Mashable.
The organization cites "changes in whale abundance and distribution, shifting patterns in fishing and other human activities, and increased public reporting" as accounting for the increase.
This incident is the first blue whale entanglement of the year. The only other confirmed record of a blue whale entanglement in California was last fall.
"The whale was last seen heading south, and NOAA has alerted San Diego, but the whale could be anywhere," rescuers added on Facebook.
"Word is out among the whale watching boats and other folks on the water," Milstein added.
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Tim Chester was Senior Editor, Real Time News in Los Angeles. Before that he was Deputy Editor of Mashable UK in London. Prior to joining Mashable, Tim was a Senior Web Editor at Penguin Random House, helping to relaunch the Rough Guides website and other travel brands. He was also a writer for Buzzfeed, GQ and The Sunday Times, covering everything from culture to tech and current affairs. Before that, he was Deputy Editor at NME.COM, overseeing content and development on the London-based music and entertainment site. Tim loves music and travel and has combined these two passions at festivals from Iceland to Malawi and beyond.
