In Images: Humpback Whale Rescued

Buoys and line

A humpback whale entangled in fishing gear at the Hawaiian Islands Humback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. The whale was first spotted on March 8, 2013, and a rescue mission was mounted.

Removing the lines

Rescuers used a fixed knife on a pole to cut the line off the entangled whale.

To the rescue

The humpback whale followed by the response team in an inflatable. It took two tries to fully detangle the whale from the 200 feet of line and two buoys attached to it.

A different view

Rescuers cut away 40 feet of line on their first rescue attempt and attached a satellite buoy to the whale, which allowed them track the whale to make their second, and last, attempt on March 11.

Under the sea

An underwater image of the humpback whale with the fixed knife on a pole.