Global General

Crew plans to cut rope to free Hawaii whale

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-12-04 14:17

HONOLULU: Marine sanctuary officials are still working to cut loose a young humpback whale entangled in several hundred yards of heavy plastic rope in Hawaii waters.

Crew plans to cut rope to free Hawaii whale

This Dec. 1, 2009 photo provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows a juvenile humpback whale entangled in polypropylene rope off the coast of Maui, Hawaii. Officials estimate the whale became tangled in 400 to 500 feet of rope that trailed in two long strands, each more than 100 to 200 feet long. [Agencies]

The rope is twisted in a knot and runs through the animal's mouth, around its head and behind its blowhole.

A whale-watching cruise spotted the animal Tuesday in waters off Maui. About a hundred yards of the polypropylene line came free Wednesday, but several hundred yards are still attached.

A crew with the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary used a knife attached to a pole to try to cut the rope Wednesday but couldn't reach it. They didn't go in the water Thursday because of windy weather and because the whale was farther offshore.

The crew is tracking the whale with a transmitter they attached to the rope Tuesday. They plan to return to the water Friday with a longer pole.