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Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans says it has successfully removed fishing gear from a humpback whale first spotted by a ferry passenger.
Paul Cottrell, the department’s marine mammal coordinator, said a rescue team spotted the whale near Texada Island on Thursday after ferry passengers alerted police and managed to free it from “recreational shrimping gear” stuck in its mouth.
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Cottrell said the whale, named Smoke, was entangled and dragging more than 50 meters of ropes and fishing gear, but was still swimming very fast. It took them several hours to find and rescue it.
He said a team from environmental group Straitwatch was in the area when the report came in and had installed satellite tags and buoys on whale tracking equipment, which helped them find the whale and carry out rescue efforts.
Cottrell said the whale was restless and uncomfortable during the move and remained very “flexible” until it became exhausted as it headed north toward the Strait of Georgia in the evening.
He said such entanglements have increased over the past few years as the number of humpback whales in British Columbia waters has increased.
“We’ve had multiple encounters with animals entangled on the water this year,” Cottrell said. “The most important thing is finding them, and the public’s attention is very important to us.”
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