#entangled whale

NOAA is asking Maui’s on-water community to be on the look out for a recently-entangled 40-foot female humpback whale off Lahaina, Maui. Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary’s monitoring team encountered the whale, referred to as Palette, on Thursday, Jan. 22. She was found to be in poor to moderate condition, showing moderate to strong emaciation and widespread carpets of red-colored cyamid amphipods (whale lice) across her otherwise light-colored body. If she is spotted, please call 888-256-9840 to report her location and share photos or videos if possible, but do not approach closer than 100 yards.

Two humpback whales were freed of life-threatening entanglements on Jan. 8 and 9 off the coast of Maui in the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. These most recent responses bring the total number of humpback whale entanglement cases since mid-December to eight.

A subadult humpback whale was freed from a life-threatening entanglement of rope and buoys during a NOAA-led team response on Tuesday off Hawaiʻi Island’s Kona coast.

The team gets called out a dozen or more times each season to respond to reports of entangled humpbacks caught in fishing gear or marine debris within the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.

Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary celebrates 30 years in November with Ho‘i Koholā, “welcome back whales” month.

The public is reminded to report washed up marine debris along Hawaiʻi shorelines because of the threat it poses to marine life like whales, monk seals and sea turtles, that can become entangled.

An entangled subadult humpback whale was freed of gear by a team of trained responders off Lahaina, Maui on Tuesday, March 9, 2021.

If you see an injured or entangled marine mammal, keep a safe and legal distance, and call NOAA’s 24/7 Marine Wildlife Hotline at 888-256-9840 or hail the US Coast Guard on VHF channel 16 immediately.

An estimated 500 feet of heavy gauge line was removed from an entangled humpback whale off Maui.

While some gear was removed, including the entangling buoy, the adult humpback whale remained entangled as of Tuesday afternoon.

An entangled adult humpback whale was freed from 285 feet of line off Mākena Beach, Maui on Friday, Jan. 12, 2018.

A whale was entangled in large gauge electrical cable deeply embedded in its mouth. All gear except what could not be pulled was successfully removed.

Officials say the yearling whale had multiple wraps of heavy gauge, red monofilament longline wrapped around its tail, with bundles of gear trailing behind.

The whale, described as a sub-adult humpback, had a braided line running through its mouth, and was trailing about 120-feet of line and a pair of bouys, according to officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.