BAR HARBOR – Two whales became entangled in marine gear Sunday in New England coastal waters.
A rescue crew from the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies freed a humpback whale that had become ensnared about 15 miles southeast of Mount Desert Island, Officer Colin MacDonald of the Maine Marine Patrol said late Sunday night.
He said the rescue was accomplished about 11 a.m. Sunday, hours after the Maine Marine Patrol found it in heavy fog.
People aboard a whale-watch boat spotted the distressed humpback Saturday about 15 nautical miles southeast of Mount Desert Island.
Before the rescue, Theresa Barbo of the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies described it as “a life-threatening entanglement.” She wasn’t sure of the whale’s size.
Also Sunday, a second rescue team was on its way to an entangled humpback whale north of the shipping lanes in the Gerry E. Studds-Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary off the Massachusetts coast, the whale rescue organization said.
Whale-watch vessels from several tour companies were taking turns standing by the humpback until the disentanglement team arrived.
Further details were unavailable early today.
The Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies in Massachusetts is permitted by the federal government to disentangle large whales entangled by marine debris, in most cases, fishing gear.
Last week, a 45-foot adult male humpback whale was disentangled by a Coastal Studies team in shallow waters between Provincetown and Gloucester, Mass. The whale, which had become entangled in netting and rope, was freed July 10.
Last August, a humpback whale was cut free by rescuers after heavy rope became wrapped around its flippers in Canadian waters for at least three days. The whale had been tangled in anchored lobster gear.
Humpbacks are known for their singing abilities and group hunting techniques.
Entanglements are a leading cause of whale deaths. Boat strikes are also a threat to humpback whales, which are an endangered species.
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On the Net:
Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies: www.coastalstudies.org/
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