Published November 6, 2026
NEWPORT BEACH | SURF & COAST | NOVEMBER 6, 2026
A whale tangled in fishing gear can turn a Newport whale-watching trip into a search operation.
August: a humpback near the harbor
On Aug. 5, 2026, a captain reported an entangled humpback near Newport Harbor. EWROC, Orange County’s whale response group, contacted NOAA and helped alert the wider network. The whale turned up again off Huntington Beach. EWROC and the Pacific Marine Mammal Center coordinated, and whale-watching crews sent photos NOAA could use. The whale was too dangerous to approach, so that sighting didn’t end with the gear coming off.
That’s part of the job: find the whale, document what’s wrapped around it, and decide whether responders can safely act. NOAA says disentanglement is dangerous and only trained, authorized responders should approach an entangled whale.
October: a win
On Oct. 18, EWROC joined other responders near San Clemente and Dana Point to free another humpback. The team recovered about 110 feet of line and a buoy. NOAA estimated they removed at least 99% of the gear.
So when a local captain spots a whale in trouble, the rescue may start with a phone call, a camera and a lot of coordination.
The ocean doesn’t exactly offer a quiet place to set up an operating room.
Sources: EWROC response reports · NOAA whale entanglement response
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