EUROPE: A Blue Whale, which is world’s largest animal, was spotted off Southern California coast in dire straits. Blue whales, the largest animals on Earth, can grow to reach nearly 100 feet (30 meters) in length and weigh 190 tons (172 tonnes). Rescuers say they will wait until later today to make efforts to free a blue whale tangled in a fishing line off the coast. It was dragging a long trailing line with an attached buoy, possibly from a lobster or crab trap.
The whale, believed to be about 75 feet long was spotted spouting and diving yesterday afternoon in a channel between the mainland and Santa Catalina Island. A disentanglement team from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration arrived at the scene before sunset and attached a larger buoy to keep track of the whale but decided to hold off on efforts to cut or detach the line until today.
It is unusual to see blue whales – the world’s largest mammal species – entangled and authorities want to proceed cautiously.
“It’s heartbreaking to know so many whales are getting tangled up in fishing gear,” said Catherine Kilduff, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity who requested whale entanglement data from NOAA this year.
The whale was first seen in the afternoon by a cruise ship 5 miles (8 km) off the coast of the upscale seaside community of Rancho Palos Verdes, said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) spokesman Jim Milbury.
Milbury said a crew authorized by NOAA to conduct marine animal rescues was on scene and assessing whether they could cut the line to free the endangered animal.
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