The U.S. Coast Guard says that a 500-yard safety zone is being enforced around a humpback whale, which is "entangled in a lobster pot [and netting] and netting eight miles east of Sandy Hook near the approach to Ambrose Channel." The whale, which Newsday says is "a juvenile humpback, about 25 to 30 feet long," was seen on the surface and breathing.
The Coast Guard, which considers the situation possibly life-threatening, said, "We are ensuring the safety of both the animal and boaters," and noted that an "entanglement team from Center Coastal Studies" will cut the whale free today. NOAA's whale disentanglement director Jamison Smith told CityRoom it can take a while before an entanglement is even noticed, "With an entanglement it can go on for months and months. Sometimes it can die and sink because it’s in such bad shape. It has depleted all blubber.”
