Latest Disentanglement - humpback whale, Andreas

diagram of the entanglement

The PCCS disentanglement team worked to free a humpback whale from lobster gear yesterday, 9/12/04, over 30 miles east of Nantucket. The whale, identified as Andreas by the PCCS humpback whale research program, was heavily entangled and was first sighted by tuna fisherman. The fishermen, including Captain Bill Chaprales and the pilot “Wilderness Dave” Voorheis, stood by the animal as the PCCS team responded aboard the R/V Shearwater that was already conducting a humpback whale research cruise in the area. After a particularly complicated disentanglement operation the whale was left with a few strands of rope that should fall away from the animal over time.

The whale was spotted by the tuna fishing team (a boat and airplane working in conjunction) at about 1pm with the team calling the sighting into PCCS. As the R/V Shearwater made their way six miles east to the location, the tuna team, which had already gone through training as disentanglement first responders with PCCS, assessed and documented the entanglement. Their observations described an entanglement that was life-threatening and their information was used to form an action plan for the PCCS disentanglement team. Fortuitously, the PCCS team was augmented by Doug Coughran from the Western Australian Department of Land Management, who was aboard as part of a month-long conservation exchange between U.S. and Australian disentanglement programs supported by the Winston Churchill Fellowship. On arrival, the PCCS team deployed a small inflatable to assess the animal and its entanglement.

At first appearances the whale seemed to be anchored by the gear in a vertical position, with its tail held down and its chin clear of the surface. Not far from the whale were a series of surface buoys that marked the gear. After making an approach to document the animal with underwater cameras, the whale shied from the approach, dove and surfaced a quarter mile away and assumed the same posture.  Despite a lobster trap held by lines under its right flipper and multiple lines over the head leading down to more traps at the seafloor, the whale was able to move at will.

the PCCS team works to cut a line at the head of the whale as the tuna team looks on PCCS image taken under NOAA-Fisheries permit 932-1489, under the authority of the U.S. Endangered Species and Marine Mammal Protection Acts - please request PCCS permission for use

The entanglement consisted of many twisted lines over the head and joined to a single lobster trap under the right flipper. A number of lines wrapped around this trap and headed to the seafloor presumably to more traps. The buoy line marking the set of traps trailed behind the whale by about 100 feet. This relatively small animal was last seen gear-free on 8/28/04 by naturalists working aboard the Dolphin Fleet whale watches. At that time the whale was heavily marked with entanglement related wounds.

The team used the surface buoys to pull themselves as close to the whale as possible during its surfacings and attached a small work buoy to the gear. Using a hook-shaped knife at the end of a long section of poles, the team reached over the whale and cut a single line just forward of the blowholes. With the drag of the buoys and of the inflatable as the team was towed the gear began to shift and give way. At each subsequent surfacing the configuration of the entanglement changed significantly. Eventually the majority of the entanglement pulled free of the whale leaving at least two lengths of line draped over the flukes and perhaps the right flipper. The lethal part of the entanglement had been cleared and these remaining lines should fall from the whale over time.

Like most disentanglement attempts this operation would not have been possible without the patience and support of many mariners. The tuna team, including the boat and aerial crew should be commended for a job well done.

click here to read about previous entanglements