Blue whale rescue effort turns to search

The ocean search for a massive blue whale tangled in fishing lines off the Southern California coast resumed Sunday for a second day, and rescuers remained optimistic even after the search effort failed Saturday.

The 80-foot whale got caught in hundreds of feet of line about 10 miles off the Pacific coast near Los Angeles on Friday, and could die of infection if the line cuts into its skin, or of starvation if the whale cannot eat because the line is running through its mouth.

"We're also concerned about it becoming fatigued from towing that line," Jim Milbury, a spokesman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said in an interview Sunday. NOAA is coordinating a search effort that includes one or two Coast Guard helicopters, Los Angeles County lifeguards, whale-watching boats and private boaters undertaking their own searches. NOAA put out an alert to boaters to look out for the tangled whale.

Peter Wallerstein, a whale rescuer in Los Angeles, said in an interview that the whale could survive "months or longer" while tangled in the fishing line, and that there is a "good chance" of finding the whale because of the large number of people looking for it.

"It's real strong. It was swimming well," said Wallerstein, director of the Marine Animal Rescue project in Los Angeles, a private, non-profit group that is designated as an official rescue team. After people on whale-watching boat reported the entanglement Friday, Wallerstein tried to rescue the whale from his rubber dinghy, but could manage only to attach a large, orange buoy that is used as a spotting device.

After the rescue effort ended Friday due to darkness and rough seas, searchers looked up and down the Southern California coast Saturday but did not spot the whale.

Blue whales are the largest animals on earth, growing up to 110 feet and and 165 tons, and have a majestic presence with their long bodies. They are endangered, as commercial whaling reduced their global population to approximately 5,000 from 181,000 in the early 1900s, according to NOAA. In the U.S., blue whales are found mostly off the West Coast.

The search-and-rescue is unusual in that it involves a blue whale, Milbury of NOAA said. Most entangled whales are smaller humpback and gray whales.

Rescuers are at a loss as to the whale's location.

"They don't have regular migratory paths in this area," Wallerstein said. "I imagine it's a blue whale that hangs in our area."

Blue whales can swim long distances, and dive deep and stay under water for extended periods, making them difficult to spot, Milbury said. "We're still hopeful of finding the whale, but we do know they can move out of the area pretty quickly," he added.

Boaters are being advised to contact the Coast Guard if they see the whale, and to stay out of its path and not attempt to feed or rescue the whale, said Lidia Barillas, an ocean lifeguard specialist with the Los Angeles County Fire Lifeguard Division.

Wallerstein was surprised the whale was not spotted Saturday with so many people searching. "The ocean is a big ocean," he added. "When you get out into the ocean, you see how vast it is."