By Courtney Teague
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — Officials are asking residents of the Monterey Bay area and Northern California to keep an eye out for a months-old gray whale that became entangled in fishing gear, The Mercury News reported.
The calf may be swimming in Monterey Bay or in waters farther north after it was first seen in Malibu, the paper reported.
“Today was a sad day,” said Phil Kreis, who spotted and videotaped the entangled baby whale. The calf and its mother were quickly moving northward, he said.
Rescuers from the Laguna Beach Pacific Marine Mammal Center tried to free the baby whale but gave up after its protective mother blocked them for hours, The Mercury News reported.
Entanglement can cause animals to drown, starve or suffer infections from cuts in their skin, according to the International Whaling Commission.
Researchers say it’s hard to estimate how many marine mammals become entangled each year because most entanglements are never seen. But the IWC said research found that some 300,000 whales and dolphins die annually because of entanglement.
Anyone who sees the calf is asked to call the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at 877-767-9425.
Source: https://patch.com/
