The was whale trailing fishing gear, including rope and several floats.<\/p>\n
An humpback whale was cut loose from fishing gear tangled around its dorsal fin in Juan de Fuca Strait over the weekend.<\/p>\n
It was a two-day operation involving Canadian and American rescuers that saw the whale trailing rope and several floats as it straddled the international boundary.<\/p>\n
The whale was first spotted off the west coast of Vancouver Island on Friday by crew on the Canadian Coast Guard Ship John P. Tully, who reported the distressed humpback.<\/p>\n
The DFO\u2019s Marine Mammal Rescue Unit led a response, with support from fishery officers and members of the Canadian Coast Guard Ship M. Charles.<\/p>\n
A satellite tag was placed on the gear to keep track of the whale.<\/p>\n
The Marine Mammal Rescue Unit, led by Paul Cottrell, got some help from the U.S.-based NOAA Fisheries West Coast Rescue Team, in the difficult task of cutting away the ropes. On Sunday, Cottrell was eventually able to make a last cut with a pole knife, and the whale swam free.<\/p>\n
The DFO said the multi-agency, cross-border operation \u201crequired significant co-ordination, resulting in a successful outcome for the whale.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was the second entanglement rescue in as many months for Canadian and American crews.<\/p>\n
In early August, the DFO, NOAA Fisheries and the Cetus Research and Conservation Society joined forces to free a humpback calf, which had been travelling with its mother.<\/p>\n
The entangled calf had more than 300 feet of rope and a buoy wrapped around a pectoral fin. The rescue invojved rescuers following the whales as they were zig-zagging the U.S.-Canadian border.<\/p>\n
The DFO urges boaters if they see a whale in distress, to give it space and never attempt to remove any entangled gear or equipment. Report<\/a> it right away so that trained experts can respond.<\/p>\n