NOAA team cut a juvenile humpback free from Endicott Arm entanglement

Mariners who spot an entangled whale in Alaska should call a dedicated regional hotline and stay back, not attempt a rescue themselves. That warning is the backdrop to a May 10 disentanglement in Southeast Alaska, where a juvenile humpback whale was freed from the narrow opening to Endicott Arm after mariners spotted the animal and NOAA Fisheries responders cut it loose using poles fitted with specialized knives, working from a small inflatable boat under federal permit.

The rescue details were documented by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The ADFG account notes that on the evening of May 10, 2026, several mariners noticed a juvenile humpback whale entangled in the narrow opening to Endicott Arm. A photo caption from the ADFG record identifies the response as conducted under NOAA Fisheries Permit No. 24359, with team members using poles with specialized knives to cut entangling lines. The ADFG documentation is consistent with NOAA's national guidance that response operations on ESA-listed species are conducted under scientific research and enhancement permits, and that documentation is used to inform future management actions and support enforcement or litigation.

Only 94 individuals nationwide hold Level 3, 4, or 5 authorization in the National Large Whale Entanglement Response Network. NOAA is direct about what the public should not do. "When well-intentioned members of the public take matters into their own hands to try to save marine mammals, they put themselves and the animals in grave danger," the agency says in its national guidance.

The rescue comes as entanglement numbers are rising. NOAA counted 95 confirmed large whale entanglement cases nationwide in 2024, up from 64 in 2023 and above the 17-year average of 71.4. Alaska maintains a dedicated regional reporting line precisely because cases there should be routed to local response networks. The state's geography, narrow fjords and busy marine corridors like Endicott Arm, creates recurring encounter risk for both mariners and whales.

Mariners who spot an entangled whale in Alaska should stay at least 50 yards away and call (877) 925-7773 or hail the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF Channel 16.