Crime & Safety
Humpback Whale Caught in Trashed Fishing Gear Off Cape Cod
A young humpback whale caught in trashed fishing gear off Cape Cod was cut free by rescuers.
PROVINCETOWN, MA — A young humpback whale caught in trashed fishing gear off Cape Cod was cut free by rescuers.
The team from the Center for Coastal Studies said the rescue happened Saturday afternoon in Cape Cod Bay off the Provincetown coast. It took about two hours to free the whale, which had fishing line through its mouth and flippers.
"The animal was essentially anchored in place, but was still able to dive," the team said in a statement. "Its behavior was extremely agitated."
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Eventually the whale was cut free.
The team credited local boaters with seeing the whale in distress and calling the Coast Guard.
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Boaters are urged to report whale or other sea life entanglements to the Coast Guard or the Marine Animal Entanglement Response hotline (1-800-900-3622).
The Center for Coastal Studies team said it has has freed more than 200 whales and other marine animals from entanglements. It said because of the endangered status of many of these creatures—especially the endangered right whale—freeing just one can have a “profound” effect on the entire population.
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