Community Corner

SeaWorld, Ocean Group Aim to Resume Whale Rescue

The Pacific Marine Mammal Center is poised to finish cutting a gray whale out of fishing line, a rescue effort it started Tuesday off San Onofre State Beach.

The U.S. Coast Guard Wednesday morning was one of several groups scouting for a gray whale still trapped in fishing line as volunteers from the Pacific Marine Mammal Center stood poised to resume their rescue efforts.

"We are actively searching for the whale, as well as SeaWorld San Diego, all the whale watching boats and helicoptor tours in the area," said Dean Gomersall, an animal care supervisor at PMMC. "He should be turning north toward Los Angeles, and marine-watching boats there will also be on the lookout."

The whale was spotted Tuesday and volunteers partially removed the fishing line. PMMC volunteers told ABC yesterday that the effort was complicated because the whale was being uncooperative.

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The crew also found that there was more fishing line entangled in the whale's mouth, according to KABC.

"We had a 40- to 45-foot whale let us know in no uncertain terms that it did not like what we were trying to do for it," said Dana Friedman, one of the rescuers.

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The whale was last seen at 6 p.m. Tuesday about 10 miles off the coast.

Michelle Hunter, the director of animal care for the center, said yesterday the group was using a volunteer's boat, supported by a boat from the Ocean Institute, but the Coast Guard will have to determine the location of the whale before the center can figure out what boats are available to rescuers.

The Coast Guard will first notify National Marine Fisheries, the agency that licenses groups like PMMC.

Hunters said this year was unusual in that the latest whale entanglement is the third off the coast of Orange County.

The team was able to attach three buoys to the whale to help track the whale, a 45-footer. It was initially towing about 50 to 100 feet of line stuck on its left pectoral fin and another line was stuck in the whale's mouth, CNS reported.

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