Descrease article font size
Increase article font size
An entangled humpback whale spotted off the coast of Nanaimo, B.C., is free, thanks to the work of fishery officers and the Marine Mammal Rescue Team.
The Hawaiian humpback whale, nicknamed Astroboy, was spotted by crew and passengers aboard a Prince of Whales whale-watching vessel, about 12 nautical miles from Departure Bay.
Officials with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) said they were able to free the whale from approximately 140 metres of poly steel rope.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
They said they could see the whale was entangled in it because it was dragging the rope through the water behind it.
The Prince of Whales vessel stayed with the whale until the rescue team arrived.
“Debris is a real problem for marine wildlife,” the DFO said in a statement.
Trending Now
-
Trump just cut off trade talks with Canada. This is the ad he’s blaming
-
Rogers outage lawsuit moving ahead, millions may get compensation
Story continues below advertisement
“The public can help prevent entanglements by cutting packing material, banding, rope and other looped material before disposing of it, and by not disposing of these materials in the marine environment.”
Anyone can report possible occurrences of whales being harassed or disturbed, and instances of collision with whales or whale entanglements, by calling the Fisheries and Ocean’s Observe, Record, Report/Marine Mammal Incident Hotline at 1-800-465-4336 or by email.
More on Science and Tech
More videos
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
