Whale spotted entangled in rope in waters off New England

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A North Atlantic right whale was seen tangled in a rope off New England, worsening an already devastating year for endangered animals, U.S. officials said.

Right whales are smaller than 360 and are vulnerable to entanglement in fishing nets and collisions with ships. The entangled whale was spotted on Tuesday about 80 kilometers south of Block Island in Rhode Island, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said.

The whale has ropes sticking out of both sides of its mouth and has been far from shore, making it difficult for rescuers to help, NOAA said in a statement.

“Given the great distance from shore, experts were unable to safely travel to the whale’s last known location during the day to attempt a rescue,” the statement said. “NOAA Fisheries and our partners will monitor this whale and attempt to respond to the entanglement, if possible, as weather and safety conditions permit.”

Several right whales have died this year off Georgia and Massachusetts, and environmental groups fear the species may be on the verge of extinction. The animal’s population fell by 25% between 2010 and 2020.

A whale found dead off Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, in January showed evidence of injuries from becoming entangled in fishing gear. Environmental groups have called for stricter rules to protect them.

Whales were once numerous off the east coast, but they were decimated during the hunting season and have been slow to recover. They have been protected at the federal level for decades.

They migrate each year from calving grounds off Florida and Georgia to feeding grounds off New England and Canada. The journey has become dangerous in recent years because their food sources appear to move as the waters warm. That change causes whales to stray from protected areas of the ocean and become vulnerable to entanglements and collisions, scientists have said.