FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Media Release 6.3

PCCS Contact:
Tanya Grady
508.487.3623 x113
508.247.7665
tgrady@coastalstudies.org

Young Humpback Gets A Second Chance

The young whale had multiple wraps of heavy line around the base of the tail that had become deeply embedded. Recreational boaters sighted the whale and promptly contacted the US Coast Guard. The Coast Guard relayed the call to the entanglement response team. On scene, the team used buoys to slow the whale, and hook-shaped knives at the end of long poles to make a series of cuts that will allow the whale to shed the remaining gear slowly over time to prevent traumatic injury.

Based on the injuries documented during the operation, it is very likely that the whale had been entangled for some time but due to the diligence of the recreational boaters and the US Coast Guard the whale now has a much better chance of survival. Research indicates that less than 10 percent of humpback whale entanglements are actually witnessed and reported. Mariners off southern New England are urged to report sighting of entangled whales, seal and sea turtles to the US Coast Guard or the response team at 1-800-900-3622.

Photographic identification data was taken on the scene and will be analyzed by the Humpback Studies Program at PCCS. The program has monitored the frequency of humpback whale entanglements off New England based on the injuries that entanglements produce. Of the approximately 900 whales in the Gulf of Maine humpback whale population, more than half have experienced an entanglement in their lifetime and 8-25 percent acquire new entanglement scars annually.

PCCS disentanglement work is supported by a grant from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MA-DMF). Support for the Marine Animal Response Team also comes from a grant from the Massachusetts Environmental Trust and contributions from PCCS members. All disentanglement activities are conducted under a federal permit authorized by NOAA.

The Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and protecting marine mammals and ecosystems in the Gulf of Maine through applied research and education.

# # #