Rescuers free 18-foot Minke Whale entangled in rope after dragging fishing gear for 40 miles off cape cod

A young minke whale that spent days dragging heavy fishing rope through the waters off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, is swimming freely again.

According to the Center for Coastal Studies (CCS), the incident began on Sunday, Sept. 6, just before sunset, when recreational fishermen spotted the roughly 18-foot whale entangled in rope and other fishing equipment near Cape Cod Bay.

The Provincetown-based nonprofit’s Marine Animal Entanglement Response (MAER) team headed out the next morning to search off Provincetown and Truro, but the whale could not be found.


The breakthrough came on the afternoon of Sept. 8, when an aerial survey team from the Northeast Fisheries Science Center spotted the whale more than 40 miles from where it was first seen, off Nauset Inlet in Eastham. The MAER team was already on the water and quickly moved in to respond as the aerial crew circled 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.”

After assessing the whale, the crew determined that it had likely been carrying the rope and buoys from fishing gear for some time. Heavy line was caught in its mouth and wrapped around its body multiple times, which would have prevented the animal from feeding, the CCS said.

The team first threw a grappling hook into the entanglement to establish a control line in case the whale dove. They then used a hook-shaped knife mounted on the end of a long pole to selectively cut away most of the rope.

The rescuers deliberately avoided one piece of line that was deeply embedded in wounds at the whale’s left flipper, as removing it could have caused bleeding and further injury.

CCS said the whale’s prognosis is poor, but there was an encouraging sign. After being freed, the whale resumed swimming normally, giving the team some optimism about its chances.

The center credited the fishermen who reported the whale and the aerial survey team for making the rescue possible. It also urged the public to play a role, asking boaters who spot an entangled whale, sea turtle or other marine animal to report it to the MAER team or the U.S. Coast Guard.

Authorities asked bystanders to stay at a safe distance until trained responders arrive, rather than attempting a rescue themselves.

All of the center’s disentanglement work is conducted under a federal permit authorised by NOAA because entanglements remain a consistent threat to whales along the New England coast.

Since its response program was founded in 1984, the Center for Coastal Studies says it has freed more than 200 large whales and other marine animals from fishing gear and debris.