From Center for Coastal Studies

   An entangled right whale was sighted during an aerial survey by researchers a few miles east of Jacksonville Beach on January 14. Photographs of the head of the whale have allowed researchers at the New England Aquarium to identify the animal as the mature female #2240. This whale was last seen on May 5, 2002 in the Great South Channel and was free of gear at the time.

   he whale has heavy line through the left side of the mouth and trailing at least fifty feet behind the flukes. It is not known where the other end goes, whether the right flipper or baleen. Heavy chaffing on and near the tail indicates a struggle with the entanglement. Beyond the raw wounds around the flukes, the overall condition of the whale appears to be good. On the surface, the entanglement appears to be relatively simple, but more information is needed for assessment. The whale has not been re-sighted.