Whale freed from fishing gear off Massachusetts coast; other entanglement incidents reported
A whale entangled in fishing gear was rescued on Sunday off Massachusetts, while separate reports noted multiple entanglements this season and a euthanised whale near Newcastle.
A whale was freed from fishing line or gear on Sunday off the Massachusetts coast. Rescuers used a hook‑shaped knife on a 30‑foot pole to cut the ropes that had wrapped multiple times around the base of its tail, according to Boston.com. The entanglement had anchored the whale, forcing it to spend most of its time at the surface, and it suffered injuries from the entanglement, the outlet added. After being freed, the whale remained at the surface while the team monitored it as it gradually regained mobility.
Rescuers said there have been 24 entanglements already this migration season, as reported by ABC Australia.
In a separate incident, a small whale was euthanised after it stranded itself on a beach near Newcastle despite rescue efforts from residents and experts, according to ABC Australia.
This account was written only from facts that survived Augur's
corroboration pass — 3 corroborated across opposed news blocs,
0 contested (attributed to both sides), 7
single-source (attributed). Nothing was added; no significance was inferred.
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