An 18-foot minke whale heavily entangled in rope and buoys off Cape Cod has been mostly freed of the rope, according to the Center for Coast Studies in Provincetown.
An aerial survey team from the Northeast Fisheries Science Center spotted the whale Tuesday off Nauset Inlet, Eastham. It had first been seen tangled in rope last Sunday, more than 40 miles away, by recreational fishermen in Cape Cod Bay.
After the first sighting, which happened just before sunset, a marine entanglement response team from the Center for Coastal Studies embarked on a search off Provincetown and Truro, to no avail.
On Tuesday, alerted by the aerial survey, the team reached the whale and found rope caught in its mouth and wrapped around its body multiple times.
The Center for Coastal Studies said the team used a hook-shaped knife at the end of a long pole to cut away most of the rope.
They left part of the line that was deeply embedded in wounds at the whale’s left flipper. Removing it could have caused excessive bleeding.
The group said the whale's prognosis is poor, but the whale did resume normal swimming.
The Center for Coastal Studies urges boaters to report any entanglement sightings of whales, sea turtles, or other marine animals to the Marine Animal Entanglement Response team (1-800-900-3622) or the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF 16, and to stand by the animal at a safe distance until trained responders arrive.
