Biologists free right whale from fishing gear off Florida-Georgia coastline

State and federal wildlife workers freed a North Atlantic right whale Friday afternoon that was entangled in fishing gear about 20-30 miles off the coast of the Florida-Georgia state line, authorities said.

The whale, known to marine biologists as "Ruffian," was initially spotted Thursday by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologists conducting an aerial survey offshore, according to a spokeswoman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries Service.

Biologists noticed the roughly 40-foot-long whale was encumbered by lines of rope coming out of both sides of its mouth and a large fishing net dragging in its wake, the spokeswoman said. The whale was then equipped with a tracking device.

Using that device, biologists with NOAA, the Fish and Wildlife Commission and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources were able to locate the whale Friday, the spokeswoman said. They removed the ropes and net in a matter of hours.

"It is not clear if the whale is completely free from the gear; however, the rescue team did not see anything else on the whale," the spokeswoman said.