NOAA to see if it can track gear that killed rare whale

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) -- Federal authorities are trying to see if they can track the ropes that entangled a whale off the Maine coast to their owner.

The whale was an endangered right whale found dead about 12 miles off Boothbay over the weekend.

A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration spokeswoman says many aspects of the 45-ton animal's death are still being investigated including whether the gear can be traced.

Goebel says it's possible that the whale could have become entangled somewhere else in its habitat in the Atlantic Ocean before dying off of the Maine coast. A necropsy was performed on Sunday.

Maine Lobstermen's Association executive director Patrice McCarron says the ropes found on the whale were much larger than those typically used by lobstermen.