Save the sauce! Team postpones Thanksgiving to release entangled whale

According to NOAA, the grinding of the upper jaw of the whales was "the size of an ice chest". Scott Van Valin, owner of Island Air Express, took this photo courtesy of NOAA. Van Valin then helped Dr. Fred Sharpe of the Alaska Whale Foundation untangling. (NOAA / Scott Van Valin photo)

A humpback whale swims freely after being untangled from mooring near Prince of Wales Island on Thanksgiving Day (11-22-18). A NOAA biologist and a local pilot postponed their holiday meal to do the tricky work.

A happy Thanksgiving for Fred Sharpe (left) meant freeing the whale with equipment specially designed by NOAA Fisheries. He was assisted by Island Air Express pilot Scott Van Valin, who had spotted the whale for the first time on Tuesday, November 20th. (NOAA picture)

Dr. Fred Sharpe, from the Great North Whale Enanglement Team, traveled to Sarkar Cove, Prince Edward Island, on Wednesday, November 21st, at approximately 16:00. miles west of Coffman Cove. Sharpe is from the Alaska Whale Foundation.

According to a press release from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, entanglement could put life at risk.

The sub-adult whale was entangled around the upper jaw in thick lines used to dock the docks. There were two buoys in the entangled lines and a dense roar of smaller lines the size of an ice chest.

Several lines covered the edge of the whale vent vent.

Due to bad weather on Wednesday, Sharpe and pilot Scott Van Valin, the owner of the nearby El Capitan Pavilion, decided to try and unravel the whale Thursday. After several attempts to approach the restless animal, Sharpe used carbon fiber poles equipped with specialized knives to release the whale about 30 minutes before sunset.

The last time she saw her, she was heading north from Sarkar Cove.

NOAA reminds all sailors to be alert to entangled marine mammals, but advises them not to attempt to disentangle them by themselves. Entanglement reports can be relayed through the Coast Guard through the VHF radio channel 16 or by calling the Alaska Marine Mammal Branding direct line at 877-925-7773.