Biologists describe freeing Unalaska whale from ‘life-threatening entanglement’

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Ethan Nichols captained the primary vessel involved in freeing an entangled humpback whale in Unalaska’s Iliuliuk Bay on April 5, 2024.

“ gets the line wrapped up in the mouth, panics, and twirls up,” Lyman said. “Suddenly, he’s got it on his tail as well — between the mouth and tail.” It’s unclear what type of fishing gear was weighing down the 30-foot whale, but it did give enough slack for the humpback to come up for air. It was then reported to marine traffic in the area. The U.S. Coast Guard in Alaska and the nonprofit organization Marine Exchange of Alaska posted a digital map displaying the entangled humpback, warning vessels entering the harbor to avoid the hazard.

Local ADFG staff received expert advice on capturing footage of the whale entanglement using a camera attached to a pole. They said it helped whale experts determine specialized tools required for the rescue operation. The actual rescue took two days. On a boat, local Fish and Game biologists and visiting whale experts gathered data from specialized tools. They floated around the whale and sometimes over it. The team used a large pole with a hook knife at the end of it, and a camera attached, so they could see in real time where the knife was cutting the rope underwater.

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