Biologists free whale from crab gear
05/19/2003
Associated Press
CLINTON, Wash. - A young gray whale that may have been tangled in crabbing gear for more than a month has been cut free by biologists.
John Calambokidis, a biologist with Cascadia Research, and son Alexei were looking for the whale Sunday afternoon near Mukilteo when they heard a radio call from a boater to the Coast Guard, saying the animal was just 3 miles away.
They located the whale, a 25- to 30-foot-long juvenile, at about 2:40 p.m. A rope was wrapped tightly through its mouth and over its head - a potentially fatal condition, Calambokidis said Monday.
The men called Brent Norberg of National Marine Fisheries Service and Steve Jeffries of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, who arrived in Mukilteo a little more than 2 hours later with some of the gear needed to free the whale, including long poles, a specially designed blade for cutting ropes without injuring the whale, ropes, and floats.
Calambokidis picked them up at Mukilteo in Cascadia Research's 18-foot inflatable boat, and the four headed out to the whale, which was now just north of Clinton.
They pulled the boat alongside the animal, snagged the rope near its mouth and sliced the rope.
The whale reacted by accelerating and lifting and slapping its flukes, splashing water into the boat and, on its next surface it leaped out of the water, Calambokidis said.
The biologists followed the whale for about an hour to ensure it was free of the gear. It appeared to be in good shape and was behaving normally, he said.
The first reports of a tangled whale in the area came in mid-April, but scientists could not locate the animal. A whale-watch boat from Mosquito Fleet near Whidbey Island spotted it on Saturday.
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