Entangled humpback whale off California freed after 2-day rescue

Rescuers on Saturday managed to free a humpback whaleentangled in dozens of metresof fishing line off the coast of California, and it swam away southwards.

"We hope we gave this whale a second chance at life," said Kelly Terry, a spokeswoman forSeaWorldin San Diego, which sent a rescue team to free the huge mammal.

The adult humpback, estimated to be 10to 15metreslong, was spotted Friday off the Orange County coast about 70 kilometressouth of Los Angeles. It was entangled from its mouth to its tail and what appeared to be nylon rope streamed behind it.

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A team with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was able to cut away up to 30 metresof rope and buoys possibly from a lobster trap but the whale became agitated and dove deep, eluding rescuers for the rest of the day.

It moved about 100 kilometressouth and was spotted again Saturday off La Jolla Cove in San Diego.

In a three-hour operation, the Sea World team was able to cut away more than 70 metres of remaining line, leaving only some line in its mouth, Terry said.

The whale is believed to be the same creature that was seen struggling with ropes several days ago off Santa Barbara, about 120 kilometres northwest of Los Angeles, said Justin Viezbicke, a NOAA program specialist who was part of Friday's rescue effort.

NOAA's whale rescue team has responded to about 50 entangled whales since January a spike that could be attributed to warmer waters bringing the giant animals closer to shore, where they encounter fishing gear, Viezbicke said.

Experts are trying to understand how the whales are getting entangled in the lines, he said.

In this case, the rescue team was able to cut away some buoys that contained identifying information that will allow scientists to figure out where the whale became entangled.

"Our response network is really just a Band-Aid," Viezbicke said. "We're looking for ways to be proactive and minimize these situations in the future."