Rescuers Try to Save Giant Blue Whale Trapped in Fishing Gear
Whale watchers found an 80-foot cetacean in distress off the California coast. Saving it has proven tricky.
A first-of-its-kind rescue operation resumed today off the coast of Southern California as crews attempt to disentangle an 80-foot-long (24 meter) blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) from crab trap lines.
The entangled whale was spotted on Monday afternoon about three to four miles (four to six and a half kilometers) off the coast of Orange County, California. Initially reported by a whale watching vessel operated by Captain Dave's Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari, the whale appeared to have 100 to 200 feet (30 to 60 meters) of crabbing lines and buoys wound around it.
According to Michael Milstein, a spokesperson for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the crabbing lines appear to run along the length of the whale's body,
