'She was just being a wild animal.' Rope-bound right whale again eludes Cape Cod rescuers.
Nearly a week after marine rescuers from the Center for Coastal Studies attempted to help a severely entangled North Atlantic right whale in Cape Cod Bay, they returned to the cetacean's side for a second go— this time in the open ocean — in hopes of getting more of the entwining fishing rope off her.
On April 4, members of the center's entanglement response team, based in Provincetown, spent several hours trying to free the whale of more of her burden, removing about 100 feet of rope. Work still needs to be done, according to the center. The 8-year-old female whale is identified as 4545 in the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium's right whale catalog, maintained by the New England Aquarium.
At this time of year, much of the right whale population is in Cape Cod Bay, part of their annual migratory route. The species is critically endangered, with only about 340 individuals — plus or minus seven — remaining, according to a report released in the fall by the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium.
The entangled whale was tracked to waters east of Wellfleet.
For their second mission to help, the team followed the whale, using a telemetry tracking buoy they attached to her entanglement during a first rescue effort on March 29. The whale swam to waters about 15 miles east of Wellfleet. During that previous attempt in the bay, they were able to remove about 200 feet of rope, even though "she did all she could to avoid us," according to team director Scott Landry.
The team was unable to make their second attempt sooner than April 4 because they needed relatively calm waters, and plenty of daylight.
On April 4, the whale again put a lot of energy into trying to evade her helpers, Landry reported. She was traveling southeast when they caught up with her, and found she still had thick fishing rope through her mouth and wrapped three times around her body — so tightly that it has become embedded into her skin and blubber, according to the scientists.
The entangled whale remained very mobile, and continued her attempts to evade her rescuers.
Team members deployed large floats and a parachute sea anchor to the trailing part of the whale's entanglement to slow her down and keep her near the surface so they could cut the rope. They did this from a small inflatable boat barely larger in length than the width of her flukes.
"Despite the addition of the extra drag and flotation she was still very mobile, evading the team’s repeated efforts to approach her to cut the wraps off her body," the team reported.
Eventually the trailing rope broke and the whale rapidly swam away. The whale's evasive behavior, said Landry, is typical. He describes entangled whales' mood as understandably "grumpy" and fearful.
"She was just being a wild animal, like we want her to be," he said.
In some ways, Landry noted, the evasiveness and rapid swimming "can be something that is a positive indicator," since it shows the whale remains strong and determined. A lethargic and listless animal is in worse shape, he said.
More: How are North Atlantic right whales doing? Cape Cod Bay experts weigh in
Satellite tracking was lost on April 4, but rescuers are not giving up.
After several hours working with the whale on April 4, and realizing they would need more time, the team attempted to reattach a telemetry buoy so they could easily find the whale again to continue their work. They were unsuccessful, though, and consequently no longer know where the whale is.
But the team is ready to launch another rescue response when she is re-sighted and conditions are favorable, Landry said.
The challenges are mounting, and the whale's situation is "serious," Landry said.
The broken trailing rope makes it more difficult for rescuers to keep themselves near the whale, if they try another rescue. If the whale remains in the open ocean, the swells can make it difficult to even see the whale. The whale has open wounds on her peduncle — the muscular region where the flukes connect to the body — from rubbing against the ropes as she swims and wounds from the rope digging into her skin.
The entanglement, too, may be hindering the whale's ability to feed, but for now her body condition remains on par with other individuals.
"She hasn't started to turn skinny," he said, noting the whales are "really built to go for a long period of time without food."
The plan is to cut the rope in strategic places, and help her body rid itself of the entanglement naturally. Without severing the ropes, they will only continue to tighten and embed as the whale grows, Landry said.
The entangled whale was first seen in February off Nantucket.
The scientists don't know when or where the whale became entangled. In February, she was spotted by an aerial team with the Northeast Fisheries Science Center just south of Nantucket. She was entangled at that time, but they were unable to respond at the time because of distance and the lack of daylight.
Mariners are urged to report sightings of entangled whales, sea turtles and other marine animals to the rescue team by calling 1-800-900-3622, or the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF 16, and to stand by the animal at a safe distance until trained responders arrive.
Heather McCarron writes about climate change, environment, energy, science and the natural world, in addition to news and features in Barnstable, Brewster and Falmouth Reach her at hmccarron@capecodonline.com, or follow her on Twitter @HMcCarron_CCT
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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Provincetown rescuers cut 100 feet of rope from entangled right whale
