The Whale Release and Strandings Group spent an exhausting day in Trinity Bay yesterday, freeing a heavily entangled humpback from layers of fishing gear.

Sea of Whales Adventures spotted the creature in Trinity Bight earlier this week and alerted the rescue group.

Julie Huntington says they arrived on Wednesday, but the conditions on the water were too rough to take action.

She says they couldn’t find the whale when they set out on Thursday, but it was eventually located by Trinity Eco Tours near Horse Chops.

Huntington says the whale was caught up in two gill nets, with its head tied to its tail. She says the effort to free the animal took hours and took a toll on their equipment.

She says the whale was entangled in new gear and some older gear that had obviously been in the water for some time.

Huntington says the whale did not appear to know when it was finally freed, as its movements were limited.

“The whale didn’t know that it was free,” says Huntington. “It just didn’t move like a whale; it just was going up and down. We’re hoping that in a couple of days it will regain its mobility and move on.”