FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tanya Grady, PCCS, 508-247-7665, tgrady@coastalstudies.org

Maritime Community Assists in Whale Rescue

The whale, identified as the 2008 calf of right whale 1321, was reported to officials by a whale watch vessel with Dolphin Fleet Whale Watch of Provincetown. U.S. Coast Guard Station Provincetown and the Provincetown Harbormaster stood by the animal until the PCCS team arrived.

Once on scene, the team documented rope wrapping around the head and mouth of the animal forward of the blowholes; potentially impeding its ability to feed. The team acted quickly, removing the entanglement and freeing the whale.

"This animal would not have been disentangled without the assistance of the Provincetown maritime community," said Scott Landry, Director of the Marine Animal Entanglement Response Program.

At most, 10 percent of entangled right whales are reported to authorities each year. Since January, the PCCS team has disentangled two right whales, three humpback whales and eight leatherbacks sea turtles; all listed as federally endangered species.

The majority of right whale deaths are the result of human activities including collisions with ships and entanglements in commercial fishing gear. If you spot an entangled whale, please call the Marine Animal Entanglement Response Hotline at 1-800-900-3662.

PCCS disentanglement work is supported by a grant from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MA-DMF). 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 and beyond through research, education, public policy initiatives and management strategies.

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