Humpback whale rescued from fishing line off California coast

Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Marine rescue teams and the U.S. Coast Guard announced they successfully freed a humpback whale repeatedly spotted entangled in commercial fishing line off the California coast.

The Marine Life Studies Institute said the whale was first spotted wrapped in fishing line by a fisherman in Monterey Bay Dec. 9, but the Coast Guard lost track of the aquatic mammal before rescue teams could arrive.

The whale was sighted the following day, but again left the area before rescuers arrived.

The institute said the whale resurfaced Friday and the Coast Guard and rescue teams, including personnel from the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and The Marine Mammal Center, responded to the scene.

Rescuers determined the fishing line could pose a threat to the humpback's life as it continued to grow, so an operation was launched to free the animal.

The institute said rescuers in a small inflatable boat were able to make a single cut in the line across the whale's back and the creature reacted sharply, causing the rest of the fishing gear to fall away.

"Friday the 13th was a lucky day for this young humpback whale," the Marine Life Studies Institute said in a Facebook post. "We are fortunate to be part of the West Coast Large Whale Entanglement Response Network."