HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., March 30 (UPI) -- Rescuers safely freed a gray whale stuck in discarded netting off the southern California coast, officials said.
The whale was first spotted Wednesday by a U.S. Coast Guard vessel around Huntington Beach, KTLA-TV, Los Angeles, reported.
At that time, a special team from the Pacific Marine Mammal Center spent several hours trying to rescue the baby whale, but was unable to do so and attached two large buoys to the whale to help it swim. The crew was forced to leave because of rough waters and darkness.
Marine specialists managed to free it Thursday by using a blade mounted on a telescoping pole to cut through the netting and release the buoys.
It took several hours of precise work to cut the animal free, the news report said.
This was the second whale found caught in netting in the area in five days. On Saturday, a young gray whale was rescued off the coast of Dana Point after getting caught in 50 feet of fishing net.
