NOAA & Marine Mammal Care Center Work Together to Free Entangled Gray Whale Off Palos Verdes Coast

Editor’s note: compelling video and pictures of rescue available for broadcast use

At a time when the Marine Mammal Care Center (MMCC) is scrambling to respond to the death and stranding of scores of California sea lions and dolphins on Los Angeles County beaches, there has been a bright spot in the chaos — a critical public-private partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that helped rescue an entangled adult gray whale spotted off the coast of Rancho Palos Verdes, near Trump National Golf Club and Terranea Resort on Tuesday.

A trained team led by NOAA Fisheries released the whale last Wednesday, April 9, 2025, that had become entangled in a gillnet that then was caught on a rock crab trap on the bottom and held the whale in place.

“The whale was anchored in place because of the trap about 100 feet down on the sea floor and was having difficulty coming to the surface to breathe,” said Justin Greenman, Assistant California Stranding Coordinator for NOAA Fisheries’ West Coast Region.

Whale watchers from shore reported the entangled whale on the evening of April 8, and the Large Whale Entanglement Response Network immediately assembled a team to respond that also included experts from Marine Mammal Care Center, Entangled Whale Response of Orange County, and Los Angeles County lifeguards.

The team reached the whale and attached a tracking buoy to the net entangling the whale so they could find it again if necessary. They then used aerial drones and underwater cameras to try and document the entanglement. They found that the peduncle of the whale’s tail (the section of tail between the body and flukes) was wrapped tightly in green gill netting holding the whale in place. They also discovered that the net itself had caught on a rock crab trap on the sea floor which had been dragged some distance from where it was set near Newport Beach in Orange County.

“While we are saddened by the death and suffering of so many marine mammals we have encountered over the past six weeks, this was a truly inspiring experience that reminds us why we do the difficult work we do every day,” said John Warner, CEO of the Marine Mammal Care Center based in San Pedro. “And more than that, it’s an important reminder of the critical role NOAA plays every day along America’s coastlines. This whale would have died without NOAA and their expert teams.”

NOAA’s West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network was established in the early 1980s under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and members of the network, including MMCC, respond to marine mammal stranding events up and down the West coast.

MMCC rescues and rehabilitates marine mammals along the Los Angeles County coastline from Malibu to Long Beach and Catalina Island, and has seen an unprecedented number of sea lions and dolphins stranding themselves along LA beaches as the result of a massive toxic algal bloom off the coast of Southern California this year. At the same time, a stray minke whale recently died in Long Beach Harbor and gray whale strandings have been reported throughout California in 2025.

“Whales are unable to see these fishing nets, which wrap around their bodies and slice into them like barbed wire. Our marine mammals face existential challenges like these every day,” Warner said. “But what enables us to more effectively address these issues is our close and on-going relationship with NOAA. We could not send our people out alone to rescue these whales. We need the expertise and experience of NOAA to ensure a safe collaboration.”

Warner said the two organizations are in constant contact about conditions that could impact marine mammals and said this year’s domoic acid event has been the most challenging one yet.

As of April 15th, Warner said MMCC has cared for 285 animals. The Center budgets for only 300 animals for the entire calendar year.

Waters off the coast of California are experiencing toxic algal blooms. This algae produces a neurotoxin called domoic acid, which accumulates in fish such as sardines, anchovies, and squid. The toxin then transfers to sea lions and birds that eat the fish — causing seizures, brain damage, and sometimes death. According to NOAA, domoic acid is one of the foremost threats to marine animals.

Not surprisingly, the massive increase in distressed animals reported to MMCC is putting strains on resources as the Center responds to large numbers of seal and sea lion pups that regularly strand in the Spring. Dealing with the current event is likely to cost the non-profit organization more than $350,000 in unbudgeted expenses.

The Center is the only year-round hospital for marine animals in Los Angeles County, with more than 10,000 animals treated by its dedicated team of staff and volunteers since 1992. A non-profit 501(c)3 organization, MMCC depends on grants and individual contributions to meet the needs of marine mammal patients. Tax-deductible donations can be made at: https://marinemammalcare.org/donate/.

Please report marine mammals in distress in LA County to the MMCC Rescue Hotline at 1 (800) 39-WHALE.

Editor’s Note: Photos and videos of the whale can be found here. Must credit: “Photo/Video by Marine Mammal Care Center / NOAA permit #24359.”

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250416788225/en/

“While we are saddened by the death and suffering of so many marine mammals we have encountered over the past six weeks, this was a truly inspiring experience that reminds us why we do the difficult work we do every day,” said John Warner, CEO of MMCC.