MoreBeach.com

April 22, 2009 – An entangled humpback whale was freed Monday from a life-threatening entanglement by the Marine Animal Entanglement Response team from the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies. The entangled whale was reported by the Dolphin VIII whale watch vessel, which stood by the animal until the PCCS team arrived on the scene aboard the R/V Ibis. PCCS rescuers faced strong winds and rough seas, with the weather forecast calling for gale force winds out of the east, the team moved quickly once they reached the whale north of Race Point in Provincetown. The whale was entangled with line and a buoy, which tightly wrapped the base of its tail. The team attached a series of buoys to the entanglement which pulled all of the gear free. Scarring indicates that the whale was likely entangled for some time before it was discovered. It is unknown where and when the whale initially became entangled, but the gear was recovered and will be turned over to NOAA for analysis. Here's the full story at CapeCodToday.com.