Response team disentangles humpback off Provincetown

By Beth Treiffeison
Posted Oct 4, 2019

PROVINCETOWN — An entangled humpback whale was freed Friday morning after being assisted by rescuers from the Center for Coastal Studies, according to a Facebook post from the organization.

A commercial fisherman reported the entangled humpback in Cape Cod Bay off Provincetown on Friday morning, the post said.

The Center for Coastal Studies Marine Animal Entanglement Response team found the whale with a buoy entangled on the right side of its flank, with line from the buoy reaching under its body, around its chin, over its back and down to a trap, according to the post.

Despite poor and worsening sea conditions, the response team was able to cut the line between the buoy and the chin of the whale, the post said.

There was no entanglement visible when the whale next surfaced, and it is likely that once the line was cut the remaining gear fell away, according to the post.

The Center for Coastal Studies was still looking to identify the whale Saturday.