A trained and authorized team led by NOAA Fisheries released an adult gray whale off Southern California’s Palos Verdes Peninsula on April 9. The whale was entangled in a gillnet. The net caught on a rock crab trap on the bottom, tying the whale in place.
“The whale was anchored in place because of the trap about 100 feet down on the sea floor and was having difficulty coming to the surface to breathe,” said Justin Greenman, assistant California stranding coordinator for NOAA Fisheries’ West Coast Region.
Whale watchers from shore reported the entangled whale on the evening of Tuesday, April 8. The Large Whale Entanglement Response Network assembled a team to respond. It included experts from the Marine Mammal Care Center of Los Angeles, Entangled Whale Response of Orange County, and Los Angeles County lifeguards.
Freed Whale Speeds Away
The team located the whale just before noon and worked for about 2 hours to remove the gear entangling it. The team first attached a tracking buoy to the net twisted around the whale so they could find the whale again if it swam away before they could free it.
The team then used aerial drones and underwater cameras to document the entanglement. The green gillnetting was wrapped tightly around the peduncle of the whale’s tail (the section of tail between the body and flukes), holding the whale in place. They also discovered that the net itself had caught on a rock crab trap on the sea floor. It had been dragged some distance from where it was set near Newport Beach in Orange County. The team eventually used specialized tools to cut most of the gear, and the whale swam away rapidly once the entangling gear was cut.
“It wasn’t going anywhere because of the way the net was caught,” said Justin Viezbicke, California stranding coordinator for NOAA Fisheries, who led the response. “Without our response, the chances of this whale surviving were very low.”
How You Can Help
NOAA Fisheries coordinates the West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network and supports the Large Whale Entanglement Response Program. Both include experts from marine mammal care centers, museums, and other organizations, often assisted by volunteers. Only trained and authorized response teams should respond to entangled whales.
The Large Whale Entanglement Response Network relies on reports from the public, as demonstrated in this case. To report an injured, dead, or stranded marine mammal contact NOAA’s West Coast Stranding Hotline at (866) 767-6114. To report an entangled marine mammal, call NOAA’s Entanglement Reporting Hotline at (877) SOS-WHALe/(877) 767-9425. For other incidents or other violations, contact NOAA’s Enforcement Hotline at (800) 853-1964.
