NOAA monitoring ‘life-threatening’ entanglement of a whale spotted off Maui
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -A wildlife rescue team is tracking an entangled whale that was first spotted off Lahaina over the weekend.
NOAA says the whale was spotted on Saturday with lines wrapped around its mouth and tail. In some places, the lines were seen cutting into the whale’s body.
Specially trained crews have made multiple attempts to free the whale, but haven’t been able to completely remove the lines.
“Currently, it is regarded as a life-threatening entanglement. The line is embedded in the body in certain places because of the drag, and so it’s one of the more difficult cases to work with,” David Schofield of NOAA Fisheries said.
The lines are connected to a cage rig used to catch lobsters and crabs. Officials believe the whale dragged the gear all the way from Canada.
Crews have attached a GPS device to the whale and they are waiting for a chance to pull off another rescue attempt.
Anyone who spots the whale is asked to call 888-256-9840.
Copyright 2019 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
