Monday, July 10, 2006

Media Release 7.3

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Theresa M. Barbo

774.263.4219

PCCS Disentangles Humpback Whale in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary

(Provincetown, Cape Cod, MA) – A 45-foot humpback whale whose head was wrapped in commercial fishing net was disentangled through the collaborative efforts of members of the Atlantic Large Whale Disentanglement Network on Sunday afternoon within the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (SBNMS). 

The NOAA research vessel Nancy Foster, on a humpback research cruise, responded to the entangled whale that was first reported by commercial whale watch vessels.   The whale watch boats and later the R/V Nancy Foster stood by the free-swimming entangled whale until the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PCCS) disentanglement team arrived.  

Sockeye, an adult male humpback whale first identified by scientists in 1984, is well known within the New England whale watch community. Easily identifiable by a jaw deformity that causes a pronounced underbite, Sockeye was sighted by whale watch vessels late on Sunday morning with a wad of bright red monofilament and green rope wedged within his mouth. The whale watch vessels stood by Sockeye as he traveled with two other humpback whales (including Putter, a whale disentangled by PCCS in 1998), eventually turning over the whales to the crew of the NOAA research vessel Nancy Foster.

The disentanglement crew from PCCS arrived on scene aboard the rapid response vessel Ibis, and assessed Sockeye’s predicament. The team deemed the entanglement to be life threatening with rope wrapped around his tail and monofilament net lodged at the mouth. Over time, the entanglement would likely have created dangerous complications for the health of the whale, for example, such as infection and impaired feeding.

Working aboard a small inflatable boat, the team was able to document the entanglement and remove all of the entangling gear, including the monofilament net and ninety-feet of rope, likely the remnants of a gillnet.  All of the entangling gear was recovered and will be sent to NOAA Fisheries Service for analysis.

“We are grateful to all those who offered their assistance during the disentanglement of Sockeye,” said Greg Krutzikowsky, director of Whale Rescue at PCCS.

The PCCS disentanglement team aboard Ibis was Scott Landry, Brian Sharp and Greg Krutzikowsky.   David Mattila of the Hawaiian Island's Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, and Jamison Smith of NOAA (who transferred from the Nancy Foster to Ibis,) assisted in the event.

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Sunday’s mission to Stellwagen Bank was coordinated by the Atlantic Large Whale Disentanglement Network (ALWDN), which PCCS manages.  The network, which extends from Canada to Florida, is comprised of fishermen, scientists and government agencies.  Twenty trained volunteer First Response teams were established in strategic sights along the Atlantic coast of the United States and Canada.  These teams are supported by more than 600 professional mariners and biologists, including more than 400 commercial fishermen who have participated in PCCS-led entanglement response training at dozens of seminars since 1997, from Quebec to Florida.  The ALWDN is funded by and operates under a permit issued by NOAA Fisheries Service.

The ALWDN coordinates emergency responses to benefit the welfare of individual whales, and collects scientific information about the causes and effects of entanglement. 

Disentanglement efforts are not a long-term conservation strategy to save endangered whale populations, nor should they be regarded as such.  Most large whale entanglements are an unintended consequence of commercial fishing operations that are regulated by state and federal governments. 

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Humpback Whale Facts:

• Though Sunday’s rescue had a happy ending, only three percent of all entangled humpback whales are reported to authorities every year;
• After centuries of hunting, North Atlantic humpback whale stocks began to slowly rebound late in the 20th century.  Today, about 12,000 humpback whales are estimated in the North Atlantic, with 900 seasonally feeding off the northeast coast of the United States;
• Humpbacks remain listed as an endangered species in the United States;
• Every year, between 48% and 65% of the photo-documented humpbacks in the northeast U.S. coastline exhibit scarring that was indicative of entanglement at some point in their lifetimes. 

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’30 Years of Discovery & Commitment’

The Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies was founded in 1976 and is dedicated to researching and protecting marine mammals and marine ecosystems in the Gulf of Maine, through applied research, conservation, environmental and education programs.  Its world-renowned whale disentanglement team operates under a permit from the National Marine Fisheries Service. To learn more about whale disentanglement, and our other programs, visit PCCS on the web at:  www.coastalstudies.org.

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Editors:  for an image of Sockeye, please contact Theresa Barbo at the contact information below.  The following language must accompany the image:

“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 us.”

PCCS Contacts

Theresa M. Barbo

Director of Communications

508.487.3622 ext. 103

774.263.5219 mobile

ccsmedia@coastalstudies.org

Greg Krutzikowsky

Director of Whale Rescue

508.487.3623 ext. 103

krutzikowsky@coastalstudies.org

Scott Landry

Whale Disentanglement Team

508.487.3623 ext 102

sclandry@coastalstudies.org