Two humpback whales freed of entangling gear in separate response events off Maui

Two humpback whales were freed of life-threatening entanglements on Wednesday, Jan. 8 and Thursday, Jan. 9 off the coast of Maui in Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.

These most recent responses bring the total number of humpback whale entanglement cases since mid-December to eight, according to a joint statement from the sanctuary and NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources

On Jan. 8, 2025, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary staff led a team of trained responders to free an entangled subadult humpback whale off of Lahaina. 

The animal had a life-threatening entanglement of 200 feet of medium gauge line through its mouth and wrapped multiple times around its tail before trailing behind the animal. The severity of the entanglement meant the animal would likely not have been able to free itself.

The whale was first reported by Maui tour boat operator Ultimate Whale Watch on the morning of Jan. 8. The sanctuary team immediately responded aboard their response vessel Koholā, while the West Maui Response team joined them aboard the Ultimate Whale Watch response vessel, Aloha Kai.

Upon locating the whale, an inflatable approach boat was launched from the Koholā allowing the team to make several cuts to the entangling gear, freeing the animal from all life-threatening line. 

The very next day, people on shore and flying approved drones along the coastline reported an entangled adult humpback whale off of Kahana, Maui.

This second animal also had a mouth entanglement, with three tight, life-threatening wraps of heavier gauge lines around the body, even more wraps around its right pectoral flipper, and no gear trailing.

Sanctuary trained responders, with the help of members of the West Maui response team aboard the Ultimate Whale Watch’s dedicated research and response vessel, mounted a response effort.

The team relocated the whale and removed a significant amount of gear, including all three constricting body wraps, and a single cut to the wraps on the right flipper. However, potentially life-threatening, but inaccessible wraps remained around the base of the right flipper.

Scientists confirmed that the recovered gear from both events was from the humpback whales’ feeding grounds in Alaska. Scientists will further assess the gear to better understand the source in order to reduce the threat of future entanglement.

The two successful responses, and their associated science, while led by the sanctuary and coordinated by NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources, also included the expertise and resources of:

• Ultimate Whale Watch’s West Maui Response team;
• Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources;
• The Whaleman Foundation;
• University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Marine Mammal Research Program;
• a number of certified drone operators;
• and researchers from the The Dolphin Institute, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and the University of Michigan. 

After spotting an injured or entangled marine mammal, keep a safe and legal distance and call the statewide NOAA Marine Wildlife Hotline at 888-256-9840 or the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF channel 16 immediately.

To report a vessel coming too close to a whale, call the NOAA Fisheries Enforcement Hotline at 800-853-1964, email respectwildlife@noaa.gov, or call your local Hawaiʻi Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement office. 

Mariners are asked to keep a sharp lookout for whales in distress, but not to approach closely or attempt to assist them. NOAA-authorized responders are the only individuals permitted to assist entangled whales and other marine mammals, in coordination with federal laws.

Immediately reporting an entangled or otherwise injured or distressed whale, is the best way to help the animal. 

A free online course by NOAA and partners provides guidance on how the on-water community can help entangled whales in Hawai‘i waters. The U.S. Whale Entanglement Response course helps fishermen, tour boat operators, and whale researchers better assist trained responders disentangle large whales.

Another way to help is to follow best practices around whales, including the revised boating recommendations developed jointly by the sanctuary, the State of Hawaiʻi, and Pacific Whale Foundation, which includes:

• keeping boat speeds at 15 knots or less, or otherwise safe planing speed while transiting in waters 600 feet or shallower during whale season;
• and maintaining 6 knots or less within 400 yards of whales during directed approaches such as whale watching.

The sanctuary encourages the public to practice responsible recreation by following wildlife viewing guidelines and safety tips.

It is illegal to approach a humpback whale closer than 100 yards by any means by sea or drone and closer than 1,000 feet by aircraft.

Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary coordinates large whale entanglement response around the Hawaiian Islands, while working closely with and under NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Regional Office and NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Protected Resources’ Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program (MMHSRP), which provides oversight and permits entanglement responses.