18-foot minke whale found badly tangled in fishing rope off Cape Cod after dragging heavy gear for more than 40 miles is finally freed

A young minke whale that spent days swimming with heavy fishing rope and buoys tangled around its body has been freed off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, after rescuers managed to cut away most of the dangerous fishing gear. The roughly 18-foot minke whale was first spotted by recreational fishermen near Cape Cod Bay on Sunday, Sept. 6, according to the Center for Coastal Studies (CCS). The whale was carrying rope and other fishing equipment that had become tightly wrapped around its body.

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The minke whale was initially seen just before sunset near Cape Cod Bay. The Center for Coastal Studies’ Marine Animal Entanglement Response (MAER) team began searching the waters around Provincetown and Truro the following morning.


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But the rescuers could not find the whale. The search changed on the afternoon of Sept. 8, when an aerial survey team from the Northeast Fisheries Science Center spotted the entangled minke whale more than 40 miles away from where it had originally been seen.

The whale was spotted off Nauset Inlet in Eastham, and the MAER team quickly moved toward the location while the aerial crew remained overhead. “It is pretty rare for a free-swimming entangled minke whale to be seen again after its initial report,” said Scott Landry, director of the MAER program. “It was very lucky and fortunate that the aerial team resighted it.”

Fishing rope was wrapped around the whale

Once responders reached the minke whale, they found that the situation was serious. According to CCS, the whale appeared to have been dragging the fishing gear for some time. Heavy line was caught in its mouth and wrapped around its body multiple times. The entanglement was particularly dangerous because it could have prevented the whale from feeding normally.

The rescuers had to work carefully because an entangled whale can move suddenly and unpredictably. Their first step was to throw a grappling hook into the fishing gear and establish a control line. That gave the team a way to maintain control if the minke whale suddenly dove underwater.

The MAER team then used a hook-shaped knife attached to the end of a long pole to selectively cut through the fishing gear. Most of the rope was successfully removed from the minke whale.

However, rescuers deliberately left one section of line in place. The line was deeply embedded in wounds around the whale's left flipper, and removing it could have caused additional bleeding and injury.

Minke whale's prognosis remains poor

Although the minke whale was successfully freed, CCS said its prognosis is poor because of the injuries and the amount of time it may have spent carrying the fishing gear. There was, however, an encouraging moment after the disentanglement. Once freed, the minke whale resumed swimming normally. That gave rescuers some hope that the young animal could survive despite the injuries it suffered.

The Center for Coastal Studies credited the fishermen who first reported the entangled whale, as well as the aerial survey team that spotted it again more than 40 miles away.

The Center for Coastal Studies' Marine Animal Entanglement Response program was founded in 1984. According to CCS, its teams have since freed more than 200 large whales and other marine animals from fishing gear and debris. The whale's condition remains uncertain, but swimming freely again was an important first step.