The whale, believed to be about 75 ft lengthy was noticed spouting and diving Friday afternoon in a channel between the mainland and Santa Catalina Island.
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“We haven’t had experience with such a large animal”, he said. The longest blue whale ever measured was more than 108 feet long, the Smithsonian Institute says.
“They ran out of time and daylight”, Milbury said. They were once driven to near extinction by whaling.
Milbury expects the team will try to put a satellite tag on the line to track the whale’s progress over the weekend, but said he’s never known a situation when NOAA has tagged a blue whale. “One flip of the tail could kill you and knock your boat out”. It’s swimming really good.
The troubled whale was first spotted by a whale-watching boat around 1 p.m. Friday, waiting for hours until help arrived.
Marine critter specialists on arena are on the lookout for your best choice to set aside the line to scale back possible accidents upon the goliath.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Coast Guard rescue crews launched their search at daybreak, but the 75-foot whale was nowhere to be found. Crews have specially designed knives and tools to cut that netting away and free the mammal.
“However, along the US west coast, much is unknown about why, when, where, and how whales are seriously injured or killed due to entanglement, how this threat may be affecting their populations, and what can be done to minimize the risk”, said a 2013 report by NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service.
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At present, the officials are insisting the whale watchers and other members of the public to cancel trips and activities within the vicinity, advises Milbury.
