'Severely entangled' humpback whale freed off Oregon Coast
Rescuers removed more than 3,000 feet of line and fishing gear, but officials said the whale’s jaw injury leaves it unlikely to survive.
- On July 26, a collaborative team of regional experts and local fisherman Poggy Lapham successfully freed a severely entangled humpback whale approximately 20 miles off the Oregon Coast, though the young whale suffered significant injuries during the entanglement.
- Whale entanglements have been increasing since 2014, according to NOAA data; in this specific case, abandoned fishing gear trapped the animal in place on the ocean floor.
- Using the hydraulic winch on his boat, the Michele Ann, local fisherman Poggy Lapham helped rescuers recover more than 3,000 feet of line, sablefish pots, and Dungeness crab traps from 400-feet-deep water.
- Despite being freed, the whale likely will starve to death, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported on Tuesday, as the entanglement left its jaw permanently open, preventing it from feeding.
- Activists petitioned the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission in February to require safer crabbing gear, but the commercial crabbing industry opposed the proposal, calling the issue "our spotted owl.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Wildlife crews rescue entangled manatee off Georgia coast in state's first documented case
A manatee is back swimming freely after a multi-agency rescue effort freed the animal from crab trap lines off the Georgia coast in what wildlife officials say is the state's first documented manatee entanglement.
Whale freed from fishing gear 20 miles off Oregon coast in late July rescue
Oregon and Washington experts freed a humpback whale tangled 20 miles offshore, recovering 3,000+ feet of line, fish pots, and Dungeness crab traps. Scientists say its jaw is stuck open and it likely will not survive.
Whale freed from fishing gear off Oregon Coast, but it will probably die from injuries, experts say
Rescuers freed a humpback whale about 20 miles off the Oregon Coast on July 26, after thousands of feet of fishing gear had trapped and severely wounded the animal.
Tillamook Headlight-Herald
'Severely entangled' humpback whale freed off Oregon Coast
An Oregon team joined by experts from Washington and a local fisherman has freed what has been described by witnesses as a severely entangled humpback whale about 20 miles off the Oregon Coast.
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