Featured Image Credit: NOAA
A humpback whale in Maui was freed from 285 feet of entangled rope. The entangled rope was of 3/8 braided rope from the whale’s mouth.
The whale was first spotted on Thursday, Jan. 11 and the removal procedure was completed on Friday, Jan. 12. The removal procedure was done by a trained response team where they had to wait for the whale to relax to begin the removal process.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said, “with the removal of gear, it is believed that the animal has an excellent chance of surviving.”
NOAA highlighted that it is illegal to be within 100 yards by sea and 1,000 feet by aircraft of a humpback whale.
If an entangled marine animal is spotted call the NOAA 24-hour Hotline at 1-888 256-9840 or radio the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF CH. 16.
Learn more from our source.