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NPS Photo / S. Neilson
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Contact: Janet Neilson, 907-697-2658
A team of National Park Service staff collaborated with NOAA and whale experts to free an entangled humpback whale near Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. National Park Service (NPS) whale biologists Janet Neilson and Chris Gabriele collaborated colleagues in the NOAA Alaska Large Whale Entanglement Response network.
Two trained disentanglement responders (NPS park ranger Bethany Robichaud and wildlife biologist Tania Lewis) went on an early response mission just outside the park in the NPS patrol vessel Talus, along with ranger Alison Richardson, to better document the whale’s initial condition. A rescue effort was authorized by NOAA’s Alaska Large Whale Entanglement Response Coordinator, Sadie Wright. Gale force winds were forecast for later in the week and daylight hours were short, however there was one more fair weather window the following day to attempt to disentangle the whale. Dr. Fred Sharpe from the Alaska Whale Foundation, had just arrived in Juneau and was available to fly to Gustavus the next day. Sharpe agreed to lead a team that included Janet, Chris, Tania, and Bethany, along with captain Justin Smith on the NPS research vessel Capelin. FAA licensed drone pilot Sean Neilson volunteered to fly to take aerial imagery to help clarify how the whale was tangled. After a thorough effort, the whale was freed from entanglement. Continued:
Read the full story with photos & videos at this link.
Last updated: November 1, 2023