Whale Rescue Postponed
P R O V I N C E T O W N, Mass., June 19 -- Scientists and marine life experts have postponed an attempt to rescue the Atlantic right whale that is in distress about 65 miles off the coast of Cape Cod.
Unfavorable winds at the rescue site caused the effort to be called off little more than an hour before the rescue team was scheduled to put to sea.
Scientists from the Center for Coastal Studies and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's fisheries division hope to free the rare whale from a fishing line that is wrapped around its jaw. The line has caused an infection that the scientists say will kill the whale unless the line is removed.
The latest forecast had shown that winds up to 25 knots would sweep the area at midday today. Winds of that magnitude would complicate the unprecedented and risky rescue attempt.
David Mattila, head of the center's disentanglement team, said the rescue would need almost ideal weather conditions — including little wind — if it were to be successful.
The rescuers plan to approach the 50-plus-foot whale in a 17-foot inflatable boat, then cut away the line with specially designed tools.
Scientists flew over the whale today and took photographs. The images showed that the whale's condition had deteriorated since it was last sighted, with the infection spreading, the scientists said.
The scientists do not expect to attempt a rescue Wednesday because less-than-ideal weather conditions are forecast.
Another Whale Found Dead
The urgency of the mission was underscored when another Atlantic right whale was discovered dead, floating upside down, off New York's Long Island. The right whale is one of the most endangered species on the planet. There are now fewer than 300.
The dead whale is being towed to an Army Corps of Engineers facility in Newark, N.J., where a group of veterinarians and marine experts will perform a necropsy to determine the cause of death. The experts also hope to learn more about right whale anatomy to aid them in the attempt to rescue the whale in distress off Cape Cod.
