SeaWorld and U.S. Coast Guard personnel rescued a humpback whale that became tangled in a line from a lobster trap about seven miles off the coast of La Jolla.
The crew of a fishing boat alerted the Coast Guard around 9:30 a.m. to the entangled whale and said the lobster trap appeared to be hindering its ability to swim, according to the Coast Guard.
SeaWorld also dispatched two rescue boats. However, one of the vessels had engine problems, which prompted the Coast Guard to send one of its crews to continue SeaWorld’s efforts to free the whale.
As the Coast Guard vessel was en route later that afternoon, it inadvertently sucked up a buoy float line being used as a locating beacon. When the float line was pulled taught, the line from the lobster trap parted, which allowed the whale to swim away, according to the Coast Guard. — FOX 5