Endangered whale recently seen off Cape Cod may need rescue after entanglement

A pair of North Atlantic right whales interact at the surface of Cape Cod Bay in Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, NOAA permit # 21371)

CAPE COD, Massachusetts (WBZ) -- A young right whale that was seen off Massachusetts two months ago may need to be rescued after it was observed in Canadian waters with fishing gear in its mouth.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada said that on June 8, aerial observers spotted an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence near Shippagan, New Brunswick. They said if the whale is spotted again and conditions allow, “efforts will be made to remove any gear from the animal.”

The New England Aquarium said that the unnamed 5-year-old male was seen gear-free in Cape Cod Bay on April 21.

According to the aquarium, the whale had fishing rope caught in its mouth and trailing behind its body. The aquarium said “the whale’s behaviour, wounds, and rope-rubbing marks indicate a very recent entanglement.”

“It is always disheartening to hear the news of another entangled right whale, and Catalog #5192 is no different. As it appears this is a relatively recent entanglement, we are hopeful that rescue teams will be able to safely disentangle him so that the impacts of the event are minimized,” senior scientist Heather Pettis said in a statement.

The Canadian Whale Institute said Friday that efforts to find the whale have been unsuccessful and the search has been hampered by bad weather. If the whale is found again, rescuers will put a satellite tag on the fishing gear to track the whale ahead of a possible rescue.

There are only about 380 right whales left on the planet. Entanglement and vessel strikes are the leading causes of death for the whales. The aquarium says more than 86 per cent of right whales become entangled at least once in their lives.

By Neal Riley.