Lines wrapped around a humpback whale in waters in Kahana off West Maui were cut as part of a whale rescue on Jan. 9. Another whale rescue took place on Jan. 8 off Lahaina. Courtesy photo

Two humpback whales were rescued in separate incidents by disentangling them from lines in waters off Maui at the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.

The rescues took place on Jan. 8 off Kahana and Jan. 9 off Lahaina, both in West Maui.

The two bring the total whale rescues to eight since mid-December, according to the sanctuary.

On Jan. 8, sanctuary staff led a team of trained responders to free an entangled subadult humpback whale off Lahaina after receiving a report by Maui tour boat operator Ultimate Whale Watch.

The team from the whale sanctuary responded aboard their vessel, Koholā, as a West Maui response team joined them aboard the Ultimate Whale Watch response vessel, Aloha Kai.

The Sanctuary said the animal had a life-threatening entanglement that involved about 200 feet of medium gauge line extending through its mouth and wrapped multiple times around its tail and trailing behind it.

The severity of the entanglement meant the animal would likely not have been able to free itself, according to sanctuary staff.

An inflatable approach boat was launched from the Koholā, allowing the team to make several cuts to the entangling gear and freeing the animal from the line.

On Jan. 9, people on shore and drones along the coastline reported an entangled adult humpback whale off of Kahana in West Maui.

This animal also had a mouth entanglement with three tight wraps of heavier gauge lines around the body and even more wraps around its right pectoral flipper.

With the help of members of the West Maui response team aboard the Ultimate Whale Watch’s research and response vessel, sanctuary responders removed a significant amount of gear, including all three constricting body wraps, and made a single cut to the wraps on the right flipper. However, potentially life-threatening but inaccessible wraps remained around the base of the right flipper.

Scientists confirmed that the recovered gear from both events was from the humpback whales’ feeding grounds in Alaska. Scientists plan to examine the gear to try to identify the source in order to reduce the threat of future entanglements.

The Sanctuary is managed jointly by the state and federal government, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Sanctuary staff said anyone who sees an injured or entangled marine mammal should keep a safe and legal distance and call the statewide NOAA Marine Wildlife Hotline at 888-256-9840 or the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF channel 16 immediately.

To report a vessel coming too close to a whale, people can call the NOAA Fisheries Enforcement Hotline at 800-853-1964, email respectwildlife@noaa.gov or call the local Hawaiʻi Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement office.

NOAA-authorized responders are the only individuals permitted to assist entangled whales and other marine mammals in coordination with federal laws. According to the sanctuary, immediately reporting an entangled or otherwise injured or distressed whale is the best way to help the animal.

A free online course by NOAA and partners provides guidance on how the on-water community can help entangled whales in Hawaii waters.

The U.S. Whale Entanglement Response course helps fishermen, tour boat operators and whale researchers better assist trained responders disentangle large whales. Another way to help is to follow best practices around whales.

Revised boating recommendations developed jointly by the sanctuary, state officials and the Pacific Whale Foundation include keeping boat speeds at 15 knots or less while transiting in waters 600 feet or shallower during whale season and maintaining 6 knots or less within 400 yards of whales during directed approaches such as whale watching.

It is illegal to approach a humpback whale closer than 100 yards by any means by sea or drone and closer than 1,000 feet by aircraft.