LIHUE — Experts are asking mariners to look sharp for whales in distress after another reported entangled humpback off the coast of Maui was freed Wednesday.
No entangled whales have been reported thus far in the 2019 season in waters around Kauai, but Large Whale Entanglement Response Coordinator Ed Lyman says humpback whales can move throughout the island chain quickly.
With it being peak whale-watching season, those on the water should keep an eye out, he said.
The whale freed of gear on Wednesday off the coast of Maui was a sub-adult male entangled in heavy-gauge line near Makena Beach. The line formed a bridle through its mouth that trailed more than 200 feet behind.
Response was in the hands of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, working with and under the authorization of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program.
Also helping to respond to the entangled whale were members of the U.S. Coast Guard, NOAA Corps, Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission, Oceanwide Science Institute and the University of Hawaii.
The whale was first reported at 9 a.m. Wednesday, and by 12:30 p.m. the whale was deemed freed.
Lyman and his team were at the front of the response, and made several cuts, removing almost all the line after deploying a working line with a tracking beacon attached about 10:40 a.m. Wednesday.
Though the bridle was cut and untwisted, the line was too deeply embedded in the mouth to pull it free, according to a statement from the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary and partners.
At 12:30 p.m., with seas building, another approach was made within feet of the whale’s tail, to cut the other side of the bridle as far forward as possible.
The recovered gear will be analyzed toward determining its possible origins and trying to reduce entanglement threat in the future.
Those who sight any marine mammal in distress should maintain 100-yard distance and call the NOAA 24-hour hotline at 1-888-256-9840, or radio the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF channel 16.
