Rescuers at SeaWorld on Feb. 21 successfully disentangled a 25-foot juvenile humpback whale, estimated to be 1 year old, observed about three miles off the coast of La Jolla.
The marine park’s animal rescue team was alerted to the whale’s presence by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife at 1 p.m. and was on scene two hours later. The animal was essentially hog-tied with fishing line running through its mouth, pinning down its left pectoral flipper and entangled around its tail fluke area. It was also dragging an undetermined amount of fishing gear from its tail. It was relatively stationary in the water due to due to the anchoring effect of the fishing gear.
The team made several cuts to the fishing line, working from the front of the body near the whale’s mouth and moving toward its tail. After two hours, a final cut was made to the line near the tail, and the whale was able to swim.
The rescue was led by SeaWorld’s curator of mammals, Keith Yip, with the assistance of SeaWorld animal care specialists Eric Otjen, Jody Westberg and Nick Northcraft.
The team also encountered six entangled whales in 2015. So far in 2016, the park has rescued more than 130 ill, injured or stranded sea lions and seals on the beaches of San Diego County and is caring for approximately 100 of those in its Animal Rescue Center. Over its 52-year history, SeaWorld San Diego has rescued more than 16,000 animals.