The Marine Animal Entanglement Response (MAER) team at the Center for Coastal Studies successfully disentangled a young humpback whale off Rockport, Massachusetts, this week. The whale is expected to make a full recovery.
On Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 4, recreational boaters spotted the small humpback towing a buoy attached to fishing gear. They immediately reported the sighting to the U.S. Coast Guard, which relayed the information to the MAER hotline. Because of the time and distance involved, a response could not be mounted that day. Instead, the MAER team alerted the regional disentanglement network and asked boaters to keep watch for the whale.
The following morning, the MAER team departed Provincetown to search for the whale. The Rockport Harbormaster and NOAA staff also joined the effort. By late morning, a recreational boater located the whale and reported its position.
Once on scene, the MAER team worked to attach a grappling hook to rope caught in the whale’s mouth. From a small inflatable boat, responders used the entangling line to move in behind the whale and cut away the fishing buoy. They then attached large floats to the remaining rope. The drag created by the floats helped pull the rest of the entanglement free.
Once freed, the whale quickly swam away into Ipswich Bay.
The successful response was made possible by the quick actions of recreational boaters and the coordinated efforts of the Rockport Harbormaster, NOAA, the U.S. Coast Guard and the MAER team.
Boaters are urged to report sightings of entangled whales, sea turtles or other marine animals immediately to the MAER team at 1-800-900-3622 or to the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF Channel 16. When safe to do so, boaters should remain with the animal at a safe distance until trained responders arrive.
The Center for Coastal Studies’ disentanglement work is supported in part by grants from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MA-DMF), the Massachusetts Environmental Trust, and private foundations and donors. All disentanglement activities are conducted under a federal permit authorized by NOAA.
