North Atlantic right whale partially freed near Cape Cod Bay

Rescuers removed part of the fishing gear from an entangled North Atlantic right whale off Cape Cod Bay; the whale left with rope still wrapped around its tail and follow-up sightings will guide further assessment.

A young North Atlantic right whale spotted in Cape Cod Bay was found partly entangled in fishing gear over the weekend. A Center for Coastal Studies Marine Animal Entanglement Response team located the whale and attached a tracking buoy before conditions worsened. The team caught up with the whale the next day east of Truro and removed a significant amount of gear. The whale swam away with rope still wrapped around its tail. Known details: - A Plymouth resident reported the whale after seeing a buoy in tow, prompting a call to the Marine Animal Entanglement Response (MAER) hotline. - The whale had fishing rope wrapped around the base of its tail but was described as fully mobile and able to swim without difficulty when first observed. - Responders outfitted the entanglement with a tracking buoy overnight as wind and sea state worsened; the whale moved out of Cape Cod Bay and traveled east. - On Sunday the team used large buoys and a sea anchor to slow the whale and worked to cut away wraps of rope; a portion of the gear broke and was recovered, along with the tracking buoy. - The New England Aquarium confirmed the whale is the 2025 calf of a right whale named Monarch; NOAA officials say there are about 380 North Atlantic right whales and that entanglement in fishing gear is a major threat. Summary: The response team succeeded in removing a significant portion of the fishing gear but the whale still had rope around its tail when it swam away. Officials reported there is a chance the whale could shed the remaining entanglement, and follow-up sightings will help assess its condition and whether additional response is needed. Officials also reported that boaters were asked to report sightings of entangled marine animals to response teams.