Tangled Whale Spotted off Monterey

June the whale, which last week made news when it was discovered to be tangled in fishing line off of Orange County, has been spotted off the coast of Monterey County near the town of Gorda.

A private citizen caught a glimps of the whale at about 8 this morning. June appeared to have several attached buoys and "was swimming slower and breathing more often than other whales in the area," according to Monica DeAngelis, a marine biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service in Long Beach.

"The whale is still entangled, but we're not sure yet about the nature or how much work would need to be done to attempt any further disentangling," DeAngelis told Patch.

"We're getting folks together now and forming a team so we'll have people on standby once we asses the situation," said DeAngelis. "It's a risky area to put a rescue boat in, so the team will head out once it's determined that it is safe for them."

DeAngelis added that it was a good sign that the whale is heading north along its seasonal migratory path.