Southern California rescuers working for Dana Point Rescuers warned boat captains to look for an entangled whale which seems to have a metal frame around its head. This whale was last seen off Orange County, appearing as if it was heading north. Everything started on April 1st when Frank Brennan, the Captain of Dana Wharf Sportfishing and Whale Watching at about two miles south of Dana Point Harbor.
- Southern California rescuers are trying to find again the entangled whale to release it.
- Frank Brennan was the first cu spotted this whale.
- NOAA researchers claim that in the past there were about 71 cases in which marine animals got trapped like this.
Brennan was engaged on a whale-watching trip when he spotted a metal frame stuck around the head of a marine animal as he was approaching San Juan Rock, off the Headlands. He had immediately alerted Justin Viezbicke, who is the marine mammal stranding network coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Brennan also announced Captain Dave Anderson of the Dave’s Dolphin Safari who is also responsible for leading the whale disentanglement team from Orange County.
Over the years, he was involved in several rescue situations. Brennan pointed out that the whale was being uncooperative since there were so many boats surrounding it. Brennan spotted the whale for the second time in Laguna Beach, and he decided to follow it until he reached Main Beach. Then, he was able to take control over the situation.
Based on a report developed by NOAA researchers and released this week, many marine animals were reported to have been entangled in fishing gear, and the number continues to rise. The report unveiled that in 2016 there 71 different such cases in which whales got trapped off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington. This represented the highest total ever registered on the West Coast of the United States since NOAA began keeping records back in 1982.
Anderson managed to relocate the trapped whale outside Newport Beach Harbor. Nevertheless, he was not able to install the tracking device due to the way in which the head of the whale was caught in that metal frame. Anderson stated that he could not risk damaging the life of the whale. Southern California rescuers gave up the efforts since the night was falling and hoped to help the whale the next day.
That frame looked as if it could be a rack for mussels and oysters to be suspended. On April 2nd, boat captains started looking for the whale again, but they could not find it. The search continues.
Image courtesy of: wikipedia
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