Dead humpback whale pulled from harbor
By Kerry Brookes
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CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine (WMTW) — Federal officials say a 40-foot-long female humpback whale was pulled from the Portland harbor Thursday.
According to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), the whale was identified as “Chunk” or #9944 in regional whale catalogs.
Chunk was first seen on Wednesday, when the NOAA says the Maine Marine Patrol and Marine Mammals of Maine were informed of a live whale trapped in a net off of Cape Elizabeth.
When Marine Patrol arrived, Chunk was found dead.
Thursday morning, the Marine Patrol towed the whale to Portland, where her remains will be transported with the help of Portland Police to a facility inland for a necropsy.
Marine Mammals of Maine is leading the examination, with assistance from the College of the Atlantic, Seacoast Science Center, New England Aquarium, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, and Atlantic Marine Conservation Society.
This was also not Chunk’s first entanglement, according to NOAA.
After she was first observed and cataloged in 2015, she was found in a severe entanglement. A team was able to successfully remove the heavy rope in which she was trapped. “She had exhibited normal, healthy behavior every year since then,”
You should never approach or touch an entangled or trapped marine mammal. Entangled marine mammals should immediately be reported to NOAA’s hotline at 866-755-6622.
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