A tracking device on an entangled whale in Southeast Alaska waters has fallen off and NOAA is once again asking the public to help them spot the humpback.
[NOAA still chasing entangled humpback in Southeast.]
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration spokesperson Julie Speegle said the whale was last spotted near Kake, but marine mammal stranding network responders are no longer able to track it.
The NOAA-led responders attached a green satellite buoy to the entangled humpback Saturday when it traveled through Gastineau Channel alongside a second adult humpback. NOAA previously attached an orange buoy to the 40-foot-long whale when they noticed it was wrapped in 150 feet of line in the Seymour Canal so they could easily spot it. Two attempts to free the whale were complicated by its companion and weather conditions, Speegle said.
[NOAA is searching for an entangled whale near Juneau.]
A third pink buoy was also tied to the whale at one point, but it was from an unknown source. It has since deflated and people trying to spot the whale should keep an eye out for the organge buoy.
NOAA Fisheries is now soley relying on reports from the public on the whale’s location. People who spot the whale should call the Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Network Hotline at 877-925-7773, or radio the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF channel 16.
Speegle said people should keep a safe distance from the whale and not try to free it from the line on their own.
• Contact reporter Paula Ann Solis at 523-2272 or paula.solis@juneauempire.com.
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