A humpback whale calf was freed from fishing gear following a multi-agency rescue off southern Vancouver Island last week.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada says its Marine Mammal Rescue team worked alongside the Cetus Research & Conservation Society and NOAA Fisheries West Coast to free the young whale on Thursday.

The calf was travelling with its mother, a humpback known as Tempest, or BCX0837, when the pair was spotted by the crew of an Eagle Wing Whale Watching tour vessel.

Eagle Wing says the boat’s captain was operating the tour when she noticed the calf tangled in fishing gear.

She immediately reported the entanglement to DFO and remained nearby with 12 guests for nearly two hours, monitoring the whales from a distance until a support vessel from StraitWatch could arrive.

“It’s critical in entanglement situations that a boat stay near the entangled whale so that the rescue team doesn’t waste valuable time trying to relocate them,” Eagle Wing said in a Facebook post.

The company says the encounter came just 10 minutes after its crew had picked up a clump of derelict fishing gear from the water.

As the rescue effort unfolded, Tempest and her calf moved back and forth between Canadian and U.S. waters, requiring coordination between Candian and American rescuers.

“The team worked late into the evening tracking the whales as they swam back and forth between Canadian and US waters until the gear could be successfully removed,” said the DFO.

Eagle Wing said guests aboard the whale-watching boat were supportive during the course of the nearly two-hour operation.

“Our guests were super helpful,” said Lili, the captain of the boat. “They understood we had to stay for the health of the calf and were very supportive. It was a total group effort.”

DFO is reminding boaters that whale disentanglements are complex and potentially dangerous and should only be attempted by trained responders.

Anyone who sees buoys or lines wrapped around or trailing behind a marine mammal should give the animal space and report it rather than attempting to remove the gear themselves.

Eagle Wing says anyone who spots an entangled whale can report it by calling DFO’s reporting line at 1-800-465-4336 or using VHF Channel 16.

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