Gray whale found caught in netting

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., March 29 (UPI) -- A gray whale was found off the southern California coast tangled in discarded netting, officials said.

The whale, which was traveling with a larger adult whale, was discovered Wednesday by a U.S. Coast Guard vessel, the Los Angeles Times reported.

A rescue team from Capt. Dave's Dolphin and Whale Safari and the Pacific Marine Mammal Center was sent out to try and free the whale. Team members attached two large buoys with flashers to the animal, but the crew was forced to leave because of low light levels and rough seas, officials said.

The incident was the second time a gray whale was found caught in netting off the Orange County coast in the past five days, the report said.