Gray Whale Entangled in Gill Net Is Rescued by Sportfishing Vessel

A California gray whale found entangled in a commercial fisherman’s gill net by a sportfishing boat captain Thursday morning was rescued and appeared to have survived the ordeal.

Ray Duane, owner-operator of the Matt Walsh out of L.A. Harbor Sportfishing, said he noticed the whale floundering in what he said was a halibut gill net about 1 1/2 miles southeast of the harbor’s breakwater.

Duane dropped anchor through the net and circled the whale, then pulled up anchor and, while the crew held the whale’s injured fluke, cut the mammal loose.

The National Marine Fisheries Service’s Terminal Island office confirmed that a whale had been rescued and said that although it can’t recommend that boaters coming across similar situations attempt such a rescue, in this case Duane did the right thing.

“The safety of the animals is the top priority,” said Joe Cordaro, a service biologist stationed at Terminal Island.

Cordaro added that the gill net was in legal waters, “but because it involved an endangered species we can issue a fine if we can trace the (identification) tags on the net. Unfortunately, this net had no tags.”