A member of a whale entanglement team attempts to safely remove a large electrical cable from the mouth of a subadult humpback whale off Maui on Saturday. U.S. Coast Guard / Petty Officer 2nd Class ROB LESTER photo

The Maui News

A subadult humpback whale with 500 feet of large-gauge electrical cable entangled in its mouth had most of it cut away by a team of responders Sunday off Maui after a two-day pursuit.

The whale was first spotted off West Maui’s pali lookout Saturday. The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary’s response vessel, Kohola, with assistance by a U.S. Guard Station Maui patrol boat responded. They determined that the whale was entangled in gear coming out of both sides of its mouth and dropping toward the ocean floor, according to a joint statement Monday from the sanctuary, Coast Guard and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service.

Initial efforts to cut the gear were unsuccessful Saturday, the statement said.

The whale was sighted again Sunday in the same area headed south. It eventually let the trailing gear settle on the ocean floor in about 60 feet of water off Kamaole Beach I, the statement said. The whale was monitored by several tour operators, including Ocean Odyssey from the Pacific Whale Foundation, Quicksilver, Redline Rafting, Blue Water Rafting and Maui Diamond II.

Further assessment of the entanglement indicated that the gear was a heavy gauge, about ∞-inch PVC-insulated electrical cable. The team used cable cutters to trim away about 500 feet of cable leading from the whale’s mouth.

The team was unable to remove all the gear because some of it had embedded deep in the back of the whale’s mouth, the statement said.

Still, the whale’s movements and behaviors showed significant improvement after most of the gear was cut away.

The source of the gear is unknown, the statement said.

“Although the animal is slightly emaciated and has gear embedded at the back of the mouth, its overall present condition is good,” the statement said. “With the removal of the gear, the chances of its survival have been greatly improved.”

The team of responders was authorized under NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response program.

Mariners are asked to keep a sharp lookout for whales in distress but to not approach closely or attempt to assist them. Only trained and well-equipped responders authorized under NOAA Fisheries’ Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program are permitted to assist whales and other marine mammals.

Anyone spotting a marine mammal in distress should maintain 100 yards of distance and call the NOAA 24-hour hotline at (888) 256-9840. If unable to call, radio the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF CH. 16 and it will relay the report.

It is illegal to approach a humpback whale closer than 100 yards by sea and 1,000 feet by air.