Entangled Baby Whale Sought Off Seal Beach Coast

SEAL BEACH, CA — Whale watchers and boaters seek a baby whale seen entangled in fishing lines off the coast of Seal Beach. The baby gray whale was first spotted near the San Clemente Pier on Monday and is thought to be headed north toward the Los Angeles coastline, with its mother.

What appeared to be fishing lines were wrapped around the calf's head, and efforts to remove the lines were unsuccessful.

A Pacific Marine Mammal Center volunteer, Caitlyn Nieblas, was first to report the calf, while out with Captain Dave's Dolphin Safari. Dana Wharf Whale Watching also kept an eye on the whale until help arrived from NOAA.

Rescuers set out on an inflatable as crews from two support boats attempted to pull off the lines with a telemetry buoy, Justin Viezbicke of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports.

The lines entangled on the baby's head "just kept breaking," but "the main part of the entanglement is still there," Viezbicke said. "So obviously, that's a concern to us."

When the sun went down, rescuers lost sight of the baby and its mother, who was protective and alarmed by all the commotion, making rescue attempts more difficult.

"We have not had any sightings of the whale today," Viezbicke said Tuesday, adding that it's now a "waiting game."

The baby gray whale, which could eventually grow to 40 feet long and weigh about 40 tons, is migrating through Southern California's waters from Baja California up to Alaska.

Sources at Dana Wharf Whale Watching say the whale is expected in Los Angeles area waters on Tuesday. Thus far, it has not been seen.

Gray whales are distinguishable by a lack of dorsal fin and dark gray coloring, typically with white barnacle scars or colored whale lice on their backs. They appear off the Los Angeles coastline typically between January and April.

Because the whales are in a northbound migration, Viezbicke said rescuers are "alerting our folks up north ... all the way up to Monterey Bay."

Viezbicke praised local whale watching organizations, sheriff's deputies and the Pacific Mammal Marine Center for their help trying to rescue the whale.

"We're very appreciative of the overall effort," he said.

According to the Center for Biological Diversity, there have been more than 280 reported whale entanglements along the West Coast between 2015 and 2020, mostly around California, and the nonprofit organization has been advocating for a Whale Entanglement Prevention Act that would require trap fisheries to convert to ropeless gear to help prevent such tragedies.

"It's heartbreaking to see this baby whale entangled in fishing gear as its mother helplessly watches. This is a grim reminder of why we must do more to prevent whale entanglements off California's coast," said Kristen Monsell, ocean legal director with the Center for Biological Diversity.

Boaters are asked to keep an eye out for the entangled baby whale and stay with it if it is safe. Experts warn that distressed whales may act unpredictably, so people should not approach them or attempt to remove entanglements without proper gear and training.

Report entanglements to 877-SOS-WHAL or 877-767-9425 or contact the U.S. Coast Guard at VHF Ch. 16.

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City News Service, Patch Staffer Ashley Ludwig contributed to this report.