Summary

EFFORTS TO FREE A RIGHT WHALE THAT HAS BECOME TANGLED IN A 200 FOOT LOBSTER POT CABLE HAVE BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO BAD WEATHER. HEAVY SEAS AND HIGH WINDS PREVENTED SCIENTISTS ON A COAST GUARD CUTTER FROM GETTING CLOSE ENOUGH TO HELP THE ANIMAL. THE ADULT FEMALE IS THOUGHT TO BE ONE OF ONLY ABOUT 300 RIGHT WHALES LEFT IN THE WORLD. .....SCRIPT..... They fought 8 to ten foot seas off the coast of St. Romaine. It was very rough and very difficult. The rough seas didn't matter since whale experts are fighting time. The Charleston Coast Guard carrying environmentalists from along the Atlantic seaboard caught up with the whale.... This dramatic video shows the whale surfacing from time to time. SOT Two weeks ago, the 35 ton Right Whale was spotted near Jacksonville, Fla... They also spotted a rope... probably once attached to a lobster trap, cutting into the whale's back. Today's mission.... to attach a satellite transmitter to the rope. Now, by tracking the signal, they'll know where the whale is at all times. SOT Only 340 Right whales are currently living... making it the rarest whale in the world. Since this one is a female, right at the age of giving birth, rescuers say saving this one is crucial. SOT Before today, rescuers reffered to the whale only by a number...1707... But since the Charleston Coast Guard helped them out on this cutter... Whale Number 1707 is now named after it... Metompkin. TAG

Source CONUS Archive
Record ID 43888
Story Slug RIGHT WHALE STILL TANGLED (01/25/1996)
Location CHARLESTON, SC
Format PKG
Date 1/25/1996
Archive Time 14:07
TRT 1:30
Supers Coast Guard Video Barb Zoodsma, Georgia Dept of Natural Resources Chris Slay, Whale Expert National Geographic File Stormy Mayo, Whale Expert Keith King reporting
Video Description COAST GUARD VIDEO OF SMALL BOAT AT SEA, WHALE, DECK OF CUTTER, GFX,
Description EFFORTS TO FREE A RIGHT WHALE THAT HAS BECOME TANGLED IN A 200 FOOT LOBSTER POT CABLE HAVE BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO BAD WEATHER. HEAVY SEAS AND HIGH WINDS PREVENTED SCIENTISTS ON A COAST GUARD CUTTER FROM GETTING CLOSE ENOUGH TO HELP THE ANIMAL. THE ADULT FEMALE IS THOUGHT TO BE ONE OF ONLY ABOUT 300 RIGHT WHALES LEFT IN THE WORLD. .....SCRIPT..... They fought 8 to ten foot seas off the coast of St. Romaine. It was very rough and very difficult. The rough seas didn't matter since whale experts are fighting time. The Charleston Coast Guard carrying environmentalists from along the Atlantic seaboard caught up with the whale.... This dramatic video shows the whale surfacing from time to time. SOT Two weeks ago, the 35 ton Right Whale was spotted near Jacksonville, Fla... They also spotted a rope... probably once attached to a lobster trap, cutting into the whale's back. Today's mission.... to attach a satellite transmitter to the rope. Now, by tracking the signal, they'll know where the whale is at all times. SOT Only 340 Right whales are currently living... making it the rarest whale in the world. Since this one is a female, right at the age of giving birth, rescuers say saving this one is crucial. SOT Before today, rescuers reffered to the whale only by a number...1707... But since the Charleston Coast Guard helped them out on this cutter... Whale Number 1707 is now named after it... Metompkin. TAG
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