Coast Guard, NOAA, CCS make second attempt to free endangered whale

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Coast Guard, NOAA Fisheries and Center for Coastals Studies will again combine forces and resources in a second attempt to disentangle a juvenile North Atlantic right whale caught in fishing line and presently off the coast of Charleston.

The crew of the 87-foot Coast Guard Cutter Yellowfin along with NOAA Fisheries and CCS members are scheduled to depart the South Carolina State’s Port Authority in Georgetown, S.C., 6 a.m. Wednesday to track and locate the whale, assess the situation and make another attempt to disentangle the mammal. The Yellowfin crew and its passengers should return to Georgetown after sunset Wednesday.

NOAA Fisheries first notified the Coast Guard late Thursday (March 18) that the North Atlantic right whale was entangled in fishing line off the coast of Jacksonville. NOAA and CCS rescue crews made a first attempt to save the whale Friday (March 19) when the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Kingfisher intercepted the North Atlantic right whale 60 miles east of Mayport, Fla.

North Atlantic right whales are considered to be the most endangered of the large whale species with a population estimated to be around 300. They range in size from 45 to 60-feet in length and weigh between 30 to 80 tons. The mammal is typically found in the waters of Southern Georgia and Northern Florida from the beginning of December through the end of March as part of the animal’s normal migration. Costal Southern Georgia and Northern Florida waters are also the only known calving grounds and are considered a critical habitat for this endangered species.

Coast Guard, NOAA, CCS make second attempt to free endangered whale

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Coast Guard, NOAA Fisheries and Center for Coastals Studies will again combine forces and resources in a second attempt to disentangle a juvenile North Atlantic right whale caught in fishing line and presently off the coast of Charleston.

The crew of the 87-foot Coast Guard Cutter Yellowfin along with NOAA Fisheries and CCS members are scheduled to depart the South Carolina State’s Port Authority in Georgetown, S.C., 6 a.m. Wednesday to track and locate the whale, assess the situation and make another attempt to disentangle the mammal. The Yellowfin crew and its passengers should return to Georgetown after sunset Wednesday.

NOAA Fisheries first notified the Coast Guard late Thursday (March 18) that the North Atlantic right whale was entangled in fishing line off the coast of Jacksonville. NOAA and CCS rescue crews made a first attempt to save the whale Friday (March 19) when the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Kingfisher intercepted the North Atlantic right whale 60 miles east of Mayport, Fla.

North Atlantic right whales are considered to be the most endangered of the large whale species with a population estimated to be around 300. They range in size from 45 to 60-feet in length and weigh between 30 to 80 tons. The mammal is typically found in the waters of Southern Georgia and Northern Florida from the beginning of December through the end of March as part of the animal’s normal migration. Costal Southern Georgia and Northern Florida waters are also the only known calving grounds and are considered a critical habitat for this endangered species.