Humpback whale disentangled in Monterey Bay

A humpback whale that was entangled near Point Pinos was rescued last week.

Members of the Whale Entanglement Team were called to the area of a Waverider buoy placed approximately 25 northmiles west of Pt. Pinos/Monterey on Oct. 28.

The buoy had stopped transmitting on Oct. 4. A team hired to check on the buoy found the whale tangled in the line believed to be the buoy’s mooring on Oct. 24.

Pieter Folkens, leader of Wet, was contacted and confirmed the entanglement via photos. Weather conditions prevented the crew from responding before Oct. 29.

“The feeling of joy I felt the moment when the final cut of the line was made and the young whale swam free was something I could not put into words,” said Peggy Stap, a founding member of WET. “It was amazing to know our efforts as a team gave this whale a renewed chance to be a productive member of the local population of endangered humpback whales.”

WET is a group of 30-plus unpaid professionals (volunteers) assembled and trained for the purpose of disentangling whales.