A humpback whale got caught in some fishing line off the coast of Hawaii, and officials are scrambling to find an opportunity to free the mammal as it swims around Big Island dragging a buoy connected to the line.
The whale was first seen on Friday, Feb. 13, and has since been moving counterclockwise around the island. It has been spotted several times and reported, but officials have yet to get to it and remove the line it was snarled with. With the line wrapped around its tail, the whale is having difficulty swimming, mostly relying on its flippers for mobility.
Edward Lyman, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Large Whale Entanglement Response coordinator, said the situation is not immediately life-threatening, but the urgency to attend to the whale is there since it could eventually succumb to starvation.
It's not easy to untangle an animal 45 feet in length and 45 tons in weight, and weather conditions around Hawaii have aggravated the task. The whale is also constantly shifting locations, sometimes venturing into waters too dangerous for volunteers to go to, which adds to the difficulty.
However, tracking the whale is easier now that it has a satellite tag. Responders were able to put one in over the last weekend when the animal was reported along Kona Coast, allowing for the constant monitoring that will help in finding the right opportunity to help the tangled whale.
Officials warned those who want to help not to do anything to try and free the whale on their own. Instead, sightings should be reported.
Humpback whales are on the endangered species list. Coming within 100 yards of any whale within Hawaiian waters without permission from federal authorities will warrant a fine of $25,000.
Up to 10,000 humpback whales venture into the waters of Hawaii to breed and mate during winter. It is not uncommon for whales to sport scars, so this tells officials that the mammals are capable of getting out of entanglements on their own. However, this does not mean they should be left on their own.
Sometimes whales can get caught up in fishing and other lines from debris in the ocean either around Hawaii or in other feeding grounds within the northern Pacific. Aside from increasing risks of drowning and starvation, being tangled also puts whales in bigger danger of infections, trauma and being hit by ships as they can't maneuver very well in the water.
