Rescue Efforts Commence For Blue Whale Entangled In Fishing Net

In the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, rescue efforts have begun for a blue whale entangled in fishing net.

The 70-80 foot blue whale was spotted off the coast of Dana Point in Southern California around 3:30 p.m. ET on Monday entangled in crab lines, according to a CNN report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department and the NOAA Fisheries are both participating in the rescue efforts for the blue whale.

The whale was seen in an aerial video surfacing and diving back down in the water as rescue crews for the whale surround the enormous mammal. A viewer from a nearby boat mentioned that the whale appeared to be dragging around 200 feet of line and several buoys from its tail, according to CNN.

The NOAA informed CNN affiliate KABC that blue whales typically do not swim near the shoreline so such incidents of entanglement are quite rare. While the incidents are rare, this would be the second occurrence of a blue whale being entangled on the U.S. west coast within the last two years.

22 other cases of whales entrapped in fishing gear off the coasts of California, Washington, and Oregon were identified in 2015 according to NOAA. The NOAA also mentions that animals experience long periods of distress when entangled by netting such as fishing gear, but they are still capable of traveling great distances.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, there are only 10,000 to 25,000 blue whales in the world. Their natural habitats are reportedly off the coasts of California, Chile, and the coral triangle near Indonesia. Blue whales are also the largest and loudest of all animals on earth.

Hopefully with the help of rescue teams the blue whale will be freed of the entanglement of the fishing gear without serious damage to the rescue teams or the whale.