Humpback whale saved from 243 metres of cable in Hawaiian sanctuary

Massive misions to save whales tangled in fishing debris are gaining attention worldwide.

Carried on ocean currents, fishing debris can travel across the globe and entangle marine life.

Footage released by NOAA shows a successful disentanglement off of Maui, Hawaii with the help of an unexpected partner all the way from the East Coast.

In March this year a humpback whale was spotted acting strangely near the Pali Lookout on Maui, part of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary

"It was an interesting case because at first, there weren't any visible signs of entanglement," researcher Tasia Blough said. "Finally I saw a slight bit of yellow at the side of its jaw. I didn't know what it was but we didn't want to risk it."

A repsonse team was called and worked right up until dusk, and continued the next day aboard the R/V Kohola to free the whale from nearly 243 metres of 1.5 cm thick coaxial, communications-type cable - using a brand new pair of bolt cutters.

Although some cable remained in the whale's mouth, the whale eventually swam out to deeper waters exhibiting improved behaviour and swimming freely.

"When you go out on a whale watching boat, you see that most of those whales have entanglement scars on their body. It's happening to a large portion of the population each year," Blough says.