Moss Landing >> An entangled gray whale is slowly making its way up the coast from Southern California, where it was first spotted a few days ago, and folks in the Monterey Bay area are being asked to keep a lookout so a whale entanglement team can assist it.
“We don’t know if it’s commercial fishing line that it’s tangled up in,” said Peggy Stap, executive director Marine Life Studies in Moss Landing. “The whale is traveling north to its feeding grounds.”
The whale was first sighted off Dana Point in Orange County last Saturday heading north. It was re-sighted on Wednesday off Piedras Blancas in San Luis Obispo County and was expected to be in the waters off Big Sur on Thursday.
But the entangled cetacean was not sighted Thursday.
According to Stap, the whale has been exhibiting normal behavior despite its entanglement. It is not known how much gear is attached to its body, or the animal’s age, size or sex because researchers and rescuers have not been able to get close.
Stap hopes people along the coast can use binoculars to canvas the ocean in search of the distressed whale. The last two sightings have been made with the aid of viewing equipment.
Observers are asked to call the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association Entangled Whale Hotline at 1-877-SOS-WHALE or hail the U.S. Coast Guard on channel 16 if they spot the whale, according to the Whale Entanglement Team’s blog post.
“It was traveling with another whale but now it’s with two others,” said Stap.
The whale was expected to be off Point Pinos anytime between mid-afternoon Thursday and in the wee hours of Friday morning.
“It could be in Monterey Bay during the morning hours of Friday,” said Stap. “But it depends on whether it crosses past the bay and directly to Davenport.”
Friday’s weather is forecast to be wet and windy, not good conditions to spot a whale in distress even if it stays close to shore. Stap said if her team could take their boat out they would, but with white caps and high winds, they cannot.
Stap hopes the whale hugs the shoreline in Monterey Bay so that it can be sighted and tracked. She stresses the whale should not be approached.
The co-founder of the local whale entanglement team said the whale can be tracked from about 100 yards away. Stap suggests taking photos or video, and noting its location, travel direction, if it is alone or with others and its behavior.
Once the whale entanglement team can assess the whale from above and below the surface, they can come up with a plan on how best to proceed with helping the animal.
“We look at everything and make a plan,” said Stap. “If you start cutting without knowing what is there, you can cause the animal to die.”
Stap said the whale entanglement team is highly skilled and trained and will be very methodical on what they do to help the whale.
James Herrera can be reached at 831-726-4344.
