The Brief
- A sports fisherman spotted an entangled humpback whale off the coast of Westport Friday morning and promptly called responders.
- Responders from Cascadia Research Collective used drones and underwater cameras to safely cut lines “hog-tied” around the whale.
- The adult female whale was freed and swam normally after the rescue.
WESTPORT – While out fishing early Friday morning off the coast of Westport, a sports fisherman spotted something unusual in the water. He ended up shining light on what would become a life-saving team effort.
Sam Azar IV saw buoys attached to a marine animal on the surface of the water. The struggling humpback whale was anchored in place with the buoys by its head, weighted down by fishing gear.
Azar IV then took the intuitive step, contacting the entanglement hotline through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), stayed a safe distance away from the entangled whale and provided updates to responders while he waited for their arrival.
How responders rescued the whale
Cascadia’s Entaglement Response Network arrived on scene, with both an inflatable response vessel and a research vessel. According to Cascadia Research Collective, the whale dragged the anchoring gear approximately a mile away from where it was during Azar IV’s initial call, despite remaining stationary due to the weight of the equipment. …