The Boothbay Register reported Monday that area boaters spent part of their Halloween Saturday freeing a minke whale caught in a lobster buoy line near Squirrel Island.
The distressed whale was first discovered by Boothbay Harbor Shipyard General Manager Eric Graves, his wife Sharolyn and two friends while out for their last boat ride of the season, the Register reported.
“She was hung up on the line and when we got there she was exhausted,” Graves told the newspaper. “She was basically just sitting still. Every few minutes it would drop down a little bit then bob-up to catch a breath.”
Without any gear aboard to help the entangled whale, Graves put out a call for help. Dan and Theresa Williams, who also happened to be out for their last boating trip of the year, responded, according to the Register.
Dan Williams had a lobster hauler and other equipment aboard his vessel, the newspaper reported. He was able to determine the buoy line was stuck in the rear part of the whale’s jaw and, carefully, pulled on the line until it came free.
“She came up, took a big breath and took off. She went a long ways after that,” Graves told the Boothbay Register. “She must have been there for many hours. When we got there she could barely keep her head out of the water.”
