Happy ending: Rescue crew disentangles humpback whale out swimming with her calf off Cape Ann
A marine crew disentangled a humpback whale named Pinball off Cape Ann on Saturday, after the large mammal became caught up in fishing gear while swimming in the ocean with her calf.
The Center for Coastal Studies’ Marine Animal Entanglement Response team responded to assist Pinball after boaters saw the whale in distress as she struggled in fishing gear on Saturday morning, officials said in a statement on Tuesday.
After reporting the whale’s condition to the Marine Animal Entanglement Response hotline, the boaters stayed near the whale at a safe distance. At some point the whale swam off, still entangled, officials said.
With the help of the Hurricane II and the U.S. Coast Guard out of Gloucester, mariners kept watch over the whale and her calf as they swam south.
Once on scene, the Marine Animal Entanglement Response team spent the next few hours assessing the whale and attempting disentanglement, under the direction of Scott Landry, director of the Center for Coastal Studies’ Marine Animal Entanglement Program.
During the process, Pinball’s calf, now around eight months old, spent time away from its mother, periodically rejoining her to nurse, officials said.
“Using large floats and the drag from its small inflatable boat, the response team eventually removed all of the entangling gear that was lodged in her mouth,” officials said. “The team stayed with Pinball until she rejoined her calf.”
“The prognosis for both whales is now much improved,” officials said.
The MAER team was assisted by Good Samaritan boaters, the Hurricane II whale watch vessel, a commercial fisher and the U.S. Coast Guard.
“CCS is grateful to to all the mariners who helped,” the Center for Coastal Studies said in its statement.
Boaters are urged to report any entanglement sightings of whales, sea-turtles or other marine animals to the Marine Animal Entanglement Response team hotline at 1-800-900-3622 or the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF 16, and to stand by the animal at a safe distance until trained responders arrive.
The center’s disentanglement work is supported in part by grants from the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, the Massachusetts Environmental Trust, and private foundations and donors, officials said. All disentanglement activities are conducted under a federal permit authorized by NOAA.
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