A humpback whale got a second chance at life after a rescue team worked to cut it free from entangling lines in Alaskan waters.
A NOAA Fisheries response team used poles equipped with specialized knives to carefully slice through the lines that had become wrapped around the whale. The operation, which was captured in photographs, showed three crew members aboard a boat working alongside the animal to complete the rescue.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game assisted in documenting the response effort. The disentanglement was carried out under a NOAA Fisheries permit.
NOAA Fisheries oversees marine mammal rescue and response efforts across the United States, working to protect species like humpback whales from hazards such as entanglement in fishing gear.
