An orca escape artist managed to struggle free unaided after being entangled in a crab pot for several hours earlier this week off the U.S. northwest coast.
Reports that the transient orca, later identified as T65A5, appeared to be entangled in a crab pot near Saratoga Passage, Washington, came in on Wednesday morning, NOAA Fisheries West Coast said in a post on Facebook.
A commercial tugboat in the area offered to monitor the whale at a safe distance while agencies responded, the post said.
The same orca got trapped overnight in a lagoon in Port Angeles, WA, in May last year after entering through a canal which it also used to escape.
The U.S. Coast Guard launched a drone to assess the situation on Wednesday, while local tour operators with the Pacific Whale Watch Association helped monitor the whale throughout the day.
Professional responders from NOAA Fisheries—an agency at the U.S. Department of Commerce—Cascadia Research Collective and Sealife Response reviewed aerial footage in an effort to figure out how to free the whale.
But at around 5 p.m. local time, the whale managed to swim free without their intervention.
According to the Facebook post, T65A5 "traveled closer to shore, creating slack in the entangling lines and swam away from the fishing gear, crab pot and all!"
It added: "We are so grateful for all the help from the partners that made this a successful operation. Perhaps good luck played a role in freeing T65A5. Either way, a team of professional responders, commercial and non-profit agencies, as well as our federal partners all came together to get the job done. Thank You All!"
NOAA Fisheries said the number of whales becoming entangled has increased since 2014.
There were 30 whales entangled in commercial fishing gear off the coasts of Washington, Oregon and California last year.
Humpback whales are the most common species entangled, with 18 separate incidents confirmed in 2022.
According to NOAA Fisheries, some whales that become entangled in active or derelict fishing gear, or other human-made items, are able to shed the gear on their own, but others can carry it for days, months, or even years.
"Whales that are entangled can suffer from injuries, infection, and wrapping that can impair their ability to feed or swim," the agency's website says. "The drag from the gear or debris can cause whales to expend more energy to swim, can make it harder for them to feed, and can result in starvation.
NOAA Fisheries has a program that responds to reports of entangled whales.
Anyone who encounters a whale that may be entangled is urged to contact NOAA's West Coast Large Whale Entanglement Response Network at 1-877-SOS-WHAL or 1-877-767-9425, or contact the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF CH-16.
