Entangled right whale spotted near Queens

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - Another whale has been spotted in the New York area. This whale was seen near the Rockaways in Queens. It somehow got tangled in fishing line.

People on board the American Princess, a whale-watching boat, spotted the whale Sunday. They really couldn't believe what they were seeing because they don't think this kind of whale has been spotted in this area before. Photos taken three miles off shore near the Rockaways clearly show the whale tangled up in fishing line.

Whale sightings have become increasingly common in this area. Just this year, there were over a hundred including a rare humpback in the Hudson that made a splash on social media last month and a humpback off the coast of Long Island that later had to be euthanized.

But Paul Seiswerda with Gotham Whale says a sighting like this almost never happens because it is a right whale, which is the most endangered of any of the large whales. He says only about 500 are left in the North Atlantic area.

While it may be tangled up, that doesn't mean it's in danger. Seiswerda says the good news is the whale is still eating and swimming at a good pace.

The endangered right whale is federally protected, so it is illegal for private boats to get involved. Gotham Whale has notified the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is keeping an eye on it and will step in if it feels the whale is in danger.