Young humpback was 'anchored' by rope off Massachusetts until rescuers raced in before storms

A dramatic whale rescue off Massachusetts is drawing attention online after responders raced against an incoming storm to free a young humpback tangled in fishing rope, CBS News reported.

What happened?

After boaters reported a struggling humpback in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, the 842-square-mile area between Cape Ann and Cape Cod, the Provincetown-based Center for Coastal Studies dispatched its Marine Animal Entanglement Response team.

With storms expected the next evening, rescuers had limited time. When they reached the whale, the center said it was a "relatively small whale" with a rope around the base of its tail, "essentially anchoring it in place."

Photos and video from the rescue show the team working from a small boat, using a hook-shaped knife attached to a 30-foot pole to cut through the rope. After several careful cuts, the line finally came free, and the crew stayed nearby until the whale began swimming again.

Why does it matter?

Over the past month, whale watchers had been calling the MAER hotline after noticing deep wounds on this whale from a previous entanglement, CBS News reported.

Healthy whale populations help sustain ocean ecosystems as well as coastal economies, tourism, and fishing communities. That makes entanglement and vessel collisions especially significant, since they are among the biggest threats whales face, and their injuries or deaths affect both biodiversity and people who rely on resilient marine environments.

Reports about this humpback's wounds had already been coming in from whale watchers, and last week, a critically endangered North Atlantic right whale was also seen in Canada's Gulf of St. Lawrence with fishing gear in its mouth.

What are people saying?

Despite the injuries caused by the entanglement, researchers said the whale has "a good prognosis."

Maria Harvey of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, who helped with the effort, said: "It was an honor to help this whale and great to continue the collaboration between our teams."

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