Responders off the coast of San Clemente helped a young humpback whale after its tail was entangled in about 100 feet of fishing line, a nonprofit rescue facility said Thursday.
The approximately 29-foot whale was first spotted by a fisherman about 5 miles off the San Clemente coast around 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 18, according to the Laguna Beach-based Pacific Marine Mammal Center.
Along with the PMMC, fellow National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries West Coast Stranding Network partners Entangled Whale Response Orange County and SeaWorld San Diego also responded.
After tracking down the whale near the San Clemente Pier, teams used drones and underwater cameras to assess the situation, the nonprofit said. The footage confirmed the animal had been caught in several layers of line wrapped around its underside, tail fluke and peduncle — the muscle area just before the tail.
Just before 3:30 p.m., responders cut pieces of twisted line, allowing the whale to shake free from most of it after several deep dives. Underwater video confirmed the next day that it was a “successful disentanglement operation” — this year’s first off the Southern California coast, according to the marine mammal center.
“It’s a privilege to work with such a dedicated and well-trained group of people who are all collaborating to rectify a bad situation,” Keith Yip, NOAA Level 4 responder with SeaWorld San Diego, said in a news release. “In most cases an entanglement such as this can eventually lead to death. Disentangling this whale gave it a second chance.”
The PMMC said the whale has a scar on its peduncle but appeared healthy.
Officials say entanglements can impair vital functions, such as swimming, feeding and breathing. If severe, they can result in death.
According to the PMMC, whale entanglements on the West Coast are rising in 2026, and NOAA scientists say it may be related to this year’s extreme El Niño conditions. So far, there have been 46 confirmed whale entanglements on the West Coast; in 2024, there were 95 documented whale entanglements nationwide.
The center called it “likely” that there will be more entanglements on the West Coast this year than during the last extreme El Niño event from 2015 to 2016.
Anyone who sees entangled sea mammals is urged to call the Entanglement Reporting Hotline at 1-877-767-9425.
