Reports of a minke whale becoming entangled in a pot line a mile off the Whitby coast led to an early morning call-out for the British Divers Marine Life Rescue.

They received the call on the evening of August 9, with footage showing the animal in distress due to an entanglement around its tail.

British Divers Marine Life Rescue said: “Attempting to cut free a whale without planning can lead to the whale free-swimming still entangled in line and our specialist rescue team for entangled whales (The Large Whale Disentanglement Team) was notified, with the team mobilising throughout the night.

"The team studied the footage, planning on how to approach and remove the lines and to ensure no line was caught round the head and mouth.”

Keeping an eye out for the minke whale off Whitby.

placeholder image — Keeping an eye out for the minke whale off Whitby.

At first light on August 10, the Summer Queen tour boat, which offered assistance as a support vessel, and the LWDT boat launched to search for the whale.

The team searched the area for more than two hours, using specialist equipment for whale locating, as well as 360 cameras, but no entangled whale was found, though a Minke whale was seen swimming further out at sea.

“Without further evidence of a whale in the area it appears the Minke managed to free itself on a turning tide from the line and swam away,” they said.

“Every mobilisation of our Large Whale Disentanglement Team is a large-scale incident.

Keeping an eye out for minke whale which was reported as being entangled in a pot line.

“Members of the team travelled from across the UK to attempt the rescue; Humber Coastguard alerted all ocean traffic to avoid the area as the whale was seen breaching and fighting the tide, which can become a hazard for boats approaching the harbour.

“Local wildlife watching tour boat and crew Summer Queen offered their assistance late at night as a support vessel, enabling the team to carry necessary equipment out to sea with them and Whitby Harbour Masters offered support through the evening.”

“Mobilising our team to every possible rescue alert costs us thousands of pounds every year. Please consider donating to our team here.

The LWDT thanks Mike and Paul Hobson of Summer Queen, Paul and crew from Wet Wheels, Whitby Harbour Masters and Night Watchmen, Whitby Council, Humber Coastguard, and members of public who offered their support during the rescue.