Young humpback whale freed from mooring line, buoy off Maui

HONOLULU (AP) — Federal officials say a yearling humpback whale off Maui has been freed from a life-threatening entanglement in mooring gear and a plastic trawling buoy. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says a rescue team found the whale’s tail and fins wrapped in small-gauge line with the plastic buoy floating behind. Officials say the whale was in good condition but that the line wrapped around its tail had begun to cut into the animal’s flesh. The gear will be analyzed to determine its exact source. Trained responders cut the gear off with a blade attached to a pole after getting close on an inflatable boat.