Humpback whale tangled in fishing gear cut free after 4 days

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20150708/us--humpback_whale_freed-909e3e49e5.html

July 8, 2015

A juvenile humpback whale entangled in fishing gear off the Northern California coast has been cut free after a four-day effort to rescue the animal.

The whale was first spotted near Moss Landing in Monterey County last week, with its upper jaw deformed and a flipper immobilized by fishing gear.

The Monterey County Herald ( http://bit.ly/1HOph7f ) reports that a team cut the whale free of the line Monday and it swam away in the Gulf of the Farallones. Officials said the prognosis for the whale appears good.

So far this year, 40 whales have been reported entangled in the northern Pacific Ocean.

Earlier this year, several dead whales washed ashore on beaches south of San Francisco. They were different species, and scientists did not find a link between the deaths.