After getting a call about a humpback whale trapped in fishing gear east of Boston, the local entanglement response team came to the pair's rescue and set them free.
According to NBC Boston, a whale named Mudskipper and her calf were swimming in protected marine sanctuary Stellwagen Bank when they were spotted tangled in 150 feet of fishing rope.
Upon seeing the sad scene, a tuna fishing boat called the Center for Coastal Studies — a Massachusetts-based nonprofit organization — for help. The agency sent out its Marine Animal Entanglement Response team to disentangle the animal and ensure it could swim freely once again.Â
While the 7-month-old calf wasn't caught in the fishing gear, NBC Boston noted that it tried to nurse while its mother was entangled and could've easily suffered the same fate.
To free them, the entanglement team deployed a small inflatable boat and placed several floats on the fishing rope. This helped to remove the fishing gear tangled in Mudskipper's mouth, and the team watched as the pair swam away.
According to the responders, both mother and calf are expected to recover fully.
While the rescue mission was successful, the entanglement response team said in a news release that this was the third whale disentanglement they'd been called out for in as many weeks.
The center encourages boaters to immediately report any sightings of entangled marine animals and wait near them until the MAER team is on the scene.
"Many thanks goes to the crew of the tuna fishing vessel for promptly reporting the sighting and to the Cape Ann Whale Watch Company for relaying the report," the Center for Coastal Studies wrote about the rescue. "Thanks also to the Northeast Fisheries Science Center aerial survey team for their support during the disentanglement."
According to the nonprofit, the entanglement response team has rescued more than 200 marine animals, including whales, from dangerous entanglements since 1984. Its services are greatly needed, as many animals it frees, such as the northern right whale, are classified as endangered.
The organization notes that over 50% of identified right whale deaths have been caused by fishing gear entanglements or ship strikes. While saving even one of the animals can ensure the species' survival, CCS explained that prevention is the best intervention.
The World Wildlife Fund estimates that discarded fishing gear, or "ghost" gear, makes up at least 10% of all marine plastic pollution, amounting to between 500,000 and 1 million tons of equipment added to the oceans each year. Sadly, it's believed that around 650,000 marine animals are killed each year from abandoned fishing gear, per the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Governments, conservation groups, and everyday people are helping to clean up the oceans and safeguard our marine friends. Plus, a world-first plastic treaty is being developed that could end plastic pollution, including marine debris. One company is even turning recycled fishing nets into consumer products such as sunglasses and Patagonia jackets.
We can do our part by taking local climate action, such as cleaning up beaches or calling on fishing gear companies to design products with sustainability in mind so they don't break apart and have large pieces slip into the ocean as easily. However, until we can get plastic pollution under control, entanglement response teams will remain crucial to protecting animals and the oceans they call home.
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