Metro

Coast Guard issues whale warning off New Jersey coast

The US Coast Guard has issued a warning for New Jersey-area boaters to watch out for a whale possibly tangled in netting or other materials.

Officials said a humpback whale was spotted near Raritan Bay on Saturday. By that afternoon, the large mammal had gone under water and wasn’t found after 30 minutes of searching by a Coast Guard rescue boat and New Jersey State Police vessel.

The Coast Guard and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration told boaters to keep an eye out for the possibly entangled whale and others – and to make sure to stay at least 100 yards away from them.

The animals can reach lengths of 60 feet and can weigh about 40 tons.

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