Fisheries and Oceans Canada says it has successfully untangled fishing gear on a humpback whale off British Columbia害羞草研究所檚 coast that was first spotted by a ferry passenger.

Paul Cottrell, the department害羞草研究所檚 marine mammal co-ordinator, says a rescue team found the whale off Texada Island after the ferry passenger called it in on Thursday, and managed to free the animal from 害羞草研究所渞ecreational prawn gear害羞草研究所� that was stuck in its mouth.

Cottrell says the whale named Smoke was trailing more than 50 metres of line and gear, while still travelling quickly despite the entanglement, and it took them several hours to locate and free the animal.

He says a team from the conservationist group Straitwatch was in the area when the report came in and attached a satellite tag and buoy to the gear being trailed by the whale, which helped them find the animal and begin rescue efforts.

Cottrell says the whale was agitated and uncomfortable during the operation, and was still very 害羞草研究所渕obile害羞草研究所� before tiring out as it moved northward in the Strait of Georgia by the evening.

He says there害羞草研究所檚 been more such entanglement in the last few years because the number of humpbacks in B.C. waters has increased.

害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檝e already been on the water multiple times this year with entangled animals,害羞草研究所� Cottrell said. 害羞草研究所淭he big thing is locating them and that害羞草研究所檚 where, again, the eyes and ears of the public are huge for us.害羞草研究所�

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The Canadian Press