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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:date Month="8" Day="24"
Year="2006"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Thursday, August 24,
2006</B></st1:date><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><?xml:namespace
prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
/><o:p></o:p></B></FONT></FONT></P>
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size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Media Release 8.7<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Theresa Mitchell Barbo:<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>774.263.4219<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><FONT face="Times New Roman"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt">PCCS
Disentangles Severely Injured Humpback Whale off
</SPAN></B><st1:City><st1:place><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt">Chatham</SPAN></B></st1:place></st1:City><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt"> on
Wednesday<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><FONT
size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">(</B><st1:City><st1:place><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Provincetown</B></st1:place></st1:City><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">, </B><st1:place><st1:City><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Cape Cod</B></st1:City><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">, </B><st1:State><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">MA</B></st1:State></st1:place><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">) – </B>In one of the worst entanglements
seen in over 20 years by the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PCCS), a
lone humpback whale was freed of a tight wrap of heavy rope around the tailstock
[base of the flukes] about 30 miles offshore of Chatham Wednesday
afternoon.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><SPAN
class=msonormal0><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman">“The injury to the
whale was extreme,” explained Scott Landry of PCCS. “The wraps of rope had
deeply severed the tailstock of the whale and the normally rigid flukes were now
soft strips of decaying flesh that trailed behind; completely useless for
swimming.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The whale was able to
make way only with strokes of its flippers,” Landry added.
<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><SPAN
class=msonormal0><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman">Late Wednesday
morning a tuna spotter called in a sighting of a lone humpback barely moving at
the surface of the water with rope floating behind it, leading to the flukes.
The spotter, a highly experienced pilot who has reported close to a dozen
entangled whales to <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><SPAN
class=msonormal0><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman">the Atlantic Large
Whale Disentanglement Network managed by PCCS noted that the animal appeared in
poor condition and had light colored objects in the water in the area of the
flukes. <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><SPAN
class=msonormal0><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><FONT
size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN class=msonormal0>The disentanglement
team left </SPAN><st1:City><st1:place><SPAN
class=msonormal0>Provincetown</SPAN></st1:place></st1:City><SPAN
class=msonormal0> aboard the rapid response vessel <I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Ibis</I> in an attempt to relocate the
animal 75-miles away and 30 miles offshore of </SPAN><st1:City><st1:place><SPAN
class=msonormal0>Chatham</SPAN></st1:place></st1:City><SPAN
class=msonormal0>.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><SPAN
class=msonormal0><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><FONT
size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN class=msonormal0>The tuna pilot had
resumed work but quickly re-sighted the whale and directed the disentanglement
team to its new location (the whale had moved approximately five-miles to the
east). <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Using a small inflatable
boat, the team made a series of approaches to document and assess the whale and
its entanglement.</SPAN><BR><BR><SPAN class=msonormal0>The entanglement was
relatively simple, with heavy rope wrapped twice around the base of the tail.
This rope hung beneath the whale with the weight of a battered wire-mesh trap
and a long length of rope trailed behind the whale.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Overall, the whale had pale, patchy skin
and was very underweight. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><SPAN
class=msonormal0><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><FONT
size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN class=msonormal0>“The team decided
that the removal of the entanglement would help this whale at least over the
short-term, but the long-term prognosis is not good. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This whale’s mobility is severely
impaired by the loss of its flukes.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>This will likely affect its ability to feed and to defend itself. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The wound may be subject to infection
which will further compromise this whale,” explained Greg Krutzikowsky, director
of the Whale Disentanglement Program at PCCS. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>“However, there was a humpback without
flukes, in which the stump was completely healed over, sighted off
</SPAN><st1:State><st1:place><SPAN class=msonormal0>Western
Australia</SPAN></st1:place></st1:State><SPAN class=msonormal0> in the late
80’s.” <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><SPAN
class=msonormal0><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><FONT
size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN class=msonormal0>“Entanglement in
fishing gear is a worldwide problem,” added Krutzikowsky.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>“Documentation of entangled whales is
better along the Atlantic seaboard of the
</SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN class=msonormal0>United
States</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN class=msonormal0> than in
other parts of the world.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>PCCS is
engaged in a study of scarring resulting from entanglements,” he
added.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><SPAN
class=msonormal0><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><FONT
size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN class=msonormal0>The team added small
buoys to the line trailing behind the whale in an effort to reduce the weight of
the heavy trap.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Using this trailing
line, the team aboard the inflatable pulled up to the flukes of the whale while
the team aboard the <I>R/V Ibis</I> held a long safety line attached to the
inflatable, to pull the team out of harms way should the animal, now motionless,
become active. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Using a series of
knives the team slowly cut through the tightly twisted rope just behind the
whale. This left two short pieces of rope within the wound that should fall away
with time (removing those short lines was deemed too risky for the whale
considering the extent of the injuries). The whale then swam off using its
flippers. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The humpback whale
research team at PCCS is attempting to identify this individual whale using
photographs of the dorsal fin because it was not possible to use the pattern on
the underside of the flukes, normally used in humpback whale identification.
</SPAN><BR><BR><SPAN class=msonormal0>The gear removed from this whale will be
turned over to the National Marine Fisheries Service for identification and use
in ongoing research into entanglement mitigation.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><SPAN class=msonormal0><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">**<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><FONT
size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman">The Atlantic Large Whale Disentanglement
Network (ALWDN) managed by PCCS, coordinated the disentanglement efforts.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The network, which extends from
<st1:country-region><st1:place>Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region> to
<st1:State><st1:place>Florida</st1:place></st1:State>, is comprised of
fishermen, scientists and government agencies.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Twenty trained volunteer First Response
teams were established in strategic sights along the Atlantic coast of the
<st1:country-region><st1:place>United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>
and <st1:country-region><st1:place>Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>These teams are supported by more than
600 professional mariners and biologists, including more than 400 commercial
fishermen who have participated in PCCS-led entanglement response training at
dozens of seminars since 1997, from
<st1:State><st1:place>Quebec</st1:place></st1:State> to
<st1:State><st1:place>Florida</st1:place></st1:State>.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The ALWDN is funded by and operates
under a permit issued by NOAA Fisheries Service. <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><SPAN
style="COLOR: black"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><SPAN
style="COLOR: black"><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman">The ALWDN
coordinates emergency responses to benefit the welfare of individual whales, and
collects scientific information about the causes and effects of
entanglement.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><SPAN
style="COLOR: black"><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman">Disentanglement
efforts are not a long-term conservation strategy to save endangered whale
populations, nor should they be regarded as such. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Most large whale entanglements are an
unintended consequence of commercial fishing operations that are regulated by
state and federal governments.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">**<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><FONT
size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman">Humpback Whale Facts:
<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<UL style="MARGIN-TOP: 0in" type=disc>
<LI class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"><FONT
size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman">Though Wednesday’s disentanglement was
successful, only three percent of all entangled humpback whales are reported
to authorities every year;<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"><FONT
size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman">After centuries of hunting,
<st1:place>North Atlantic</st1:place> humpback whale stocks began to slowly
rebound late in the 20<SUP>th</SUP> century.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Today, about 12,000 humpback whales
are estimated in the North Atlantic, with 900 seasonally feeding off the
northeast coast of the <st1:place><st1:country-region>United
States</st1:country-region></st1:place>;<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"><FONT
size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman">Humpbacks remain listed as an endangered
species in the <st1:place><st1:country-region>United
States</st1:country-region></st1:place>;<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"><FONT
size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman">Every year, between 48% and 65% of the
photo-documented humpbacks in the northeast
<st1:place><st1:country-region>U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place> coastline
exhibit scarring that was indicative of entanglement at some point in their
lifetimes.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></LI></UL>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">**<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">’30 Years of Discovery &
Commitment’<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><FONT
size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman">The
<st1:PlaceName>Provincetown</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType>Center</st1:PlaceType> for Coastal Studies was founded in 1976
and is dedicated to researching and protecting marine mammals and marine
ecosystems in the <st1:place><st1:PlaceType>Gulf</st1:PlaceType> of
<st1:PlaceName>Maine</st1:PlaceName></st1:place>, through applied research,
conservation, environmental and education programs. Its world-renowned
whale disentanglement team operates under a permit from the National Marine
Fisheries Service. To learn more about whale disentanglement, and our other
programs, visit PCCS on the web at: <U><A
href="http://www.coastalstudies.org/">www.coastalstudies.org</A></U>.<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">**<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><FONT
size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman">Mariners are encouraged to report whale
entanglements to the Atlantic Large Whale Disentanglement Network Hotline:<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>1.800.900.3622.<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"># #
#<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Editors:</B><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>For images contact Theresa Barbo or
Scott Landry at 508.487.3623 ext. 102.<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN class=msonormal0><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Theresa Mitchell Barbo<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Director of Communications<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">774.263.4219<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Scott Landry<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Whale Disentanglement
Program<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">508.487.3623 ext. 102<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Greg Krutzikowsky<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Director, Whale Disentanglement
Program<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">508.487.3623 ext 103<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
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