Whales tethered together by fishing line rescued in ‘challenging’ operation. See it

A pair of humpback whales tethered together by fishing gear was recently rescued during a challenging, hourslong operation off the coast of Canada.

The rescue occurred in the waters off Campbell River — a city in British Columbia — on Aug. 9, according to a statement from Fisheries and Oceans Canada provided to McClatchy News.

The agency was alerted to the problem by two female kayakers who noticed the whales in distress, according to CBC.

“Right away we saw that they were trailing the prawn trap, or at least one of them,” one of the kayakers told the outlet.

The agency’s marine mammal large whale rescue team, supported by other organizations, deployed to the area.

“The MM rescue team determined through drone imaging that the whales were entangled and tethered together,” according to the statement.

A video posted by the agency shows the whales swimming side by side near the surface and trailing several lines.

Using a small boat, the team then spent five hours detaching 300 feet of gear from the whales. Once they were freed, they quickly darted away.

“It was a very challenging rescue,” according to the statement.

The whales were identified by Straitwatch, a marine mammal research organization, as Raza and Mogul.

Neither of the animals appeared to have suffered injuries, however Mogul had some scarring near its tail, according to the Times Colonist.

Raza had previously been injured by a boat propeller, per the outlet.

People who spot entangled whales are encouraged to report it to officials and refrain from approaching the animals, according to the agency.

This story was originally published August 19, 2024 at 2:55 PM with the headline "Whales tethered together by fishing line rescued in ‘challenging’ operation. See it."