Whale with net stuck to its tail spotted off coast of Pacifica near Thornton Beach
A whale with a net stuck to its tail was spotted off the coast of Pacifica near Thornton Beach on Tuesday, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Marine Mammal Center.
NOAA said the gray whale was first spotted in Laguna Beach in March. At that time they put on a satellite tracker. It eventually failed and they lost track of the whale, but it was again spotted on April 3 — and now on Tuesday.
The whale has a gill net around its tail. It's very skittish and the Marine Mammal Center was out there checking the whale out. They tagged it so they could continue to track it.
Justin Viezbicke, coordinator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries' California marine mammal stranding response, said the rescue team pulled up behind the animal on Tuesday but could not cut the net because it became aggressive.