Huge sea creature entangled in trap for months finally set free in California

A massive sea creature was finally freed after spending six months confined among lines and buoys from a crab trap, California rescuers said.

The humpback whale named Check is part of the endangered whale population that migrates between Central America and the U.S. West Coast, according to an April 14 news release by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

In October, whale watchers found Check entangled in lines and buoys from a Dungeness crab trap off the coast of Monterey, officials said. They saw Check a few times but due to the poor weather couldn’t find the whale again.

“All the passengers aboard wanted a follow up because they wanted to know what happened to the whale,” Kate Cummings, captain and owner of Blue Ocean Whale Watch in Moss Landing, California, said. “It’s great news to share, so we are letting them know.”

In March, whale watchers reported seeing Check again, sparking a team to attach a telemetry buoy to the whale to help track movement, officials said.

Five whales were spotted traveling with Check, making the rescue mission unsafe, officials said.

Poor weather conditions didn’t allow for rescuers to help Check, but they used a camera to get underwater video of the entangled ropes in hopes a rescue strategy could be put in place, officials said.

Then, a “weather window” opened, allowing for team members from the Marine Mammal Center, among other organizations, to help Check, the NOAA said.

The whale was spotted in Pacific Grove, and rescuers grabbed the entangled line as the whale towed them while they cut the ropes, officials said.

“When you make that final cut suddenly you are not moving with the whale anymore and you feel it right away,” Peggy Stap, executive director of Marine Life Studies said.

Officials plan to keep an eye out for Check in the next few months to see how the whale recovers from the entanglement, the NOAA said.

“This was a sustained effort by a lot of people to get there and help this animal,” Justin Viezbicke, California stranding coordinator for NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region, said. “Fortunately we did.”

Monterey is about a 120-mile drive southeast of San Francisco.

This story was originally published April 15, 2025 at 6:09 PM with the headline "Huge sea creature entangled in trap for months finally set free in California."