Researchers pulled off a daring humpback whale disentanglement off the coast of Washington State this week, and the entire rescue was caught on camera.
A team from Cascadia Research was called to help after a commercial crabbing boat spotted the 40-foot whale tangled in gear and visibly distressed Tuesday morning in Grays Harbor.
Biologist John Calambokidis said the whale was wrapped so tightly in line it wasn’t going to last long.
“It looked like it was barely able to surface,” Calambokidis said.
That presented a problem, since the gear tangled around the humpback’s tailstock and flukes was all underwater.
The rescue team said the whale was easy to approach, however, and even seemed to initiate contact when they arrived. In the end, it only took about an hour for the majestic creature to come up long enough for the three-person team to hook the gear and cut it loose.
“This was one that looked like it was going to be really challenging and difficult and worked perfectly,” Calambokidis said. “We were quite happy with that.”
After being freed, the whale rushed away from the area, only surfacing once more before it was completely out of view.
Cascadia intern Erin Stehr took part in the rescue and said it was an experience she won’t soon forget.
“I still find myself kind of smiling about,” she said. “It was a really incredible thing to be a part of.”
The team said markings on the gear indicated it came from a crab pot from Oregon.
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Scott Hurst
