Entangled Humpback Whale Freed After Three-Day Rescue Mission

Juvenile humpback whale "Tutu" freed off Vancouver Island - still from video provided by Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Tutu, a 4½-year-old humpback whale, is swimming free again after a determined three-day mission to remove more than 150 metres of fishing gear.

On September 4, the federal Fisheries Department’s marine mammal response team received several reports of a young whale dragging a fishing buoy near Texada Island in the northern Salish Sea, said marine mammal coordinator Paul Cottrell.

Working alongside the Cetus Research and Conservation Society, rescuers spent three days carefully cutting away the lines — an effort documented in a social-media video. On the first day they were able to remove most of the gear, before having to track Tutu with a satellite tag to finish the job.

He was completely freed on September 6, and while suffering a few abrasions on it's flukes, does not appear to have any life threatening injuries.

Original story - by Fatima Raza, The Canadian Press - Humpback whale freed from fishing gear after three-day rescue off Vancouver Island - The Globe and Mail