A rescue effort has been mounted to free a blue whale apparently trapped in a fishing net off the coast of Southern California, Los Angeles County Fire Lifeguard spokesperson A.J. Lester said Friday.
The whale appeared to be towing a line connected to a red buoy about 10 miles out to sea off Catalina, CNN affiliate KCBS reported.
Aerial photos showed a whale surfacing and then diving below the surface, taking a red buoy underwater, too.
The Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Los Angeles County Fire Lifeguard Division are involved in the rescue effort.
It was suspended temporarily overnight but was to be taken back up early Saturday, KCBS reported.
The blue whale is an endangered species and the largest animal, according to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park website, with the heaviest known weighing 190 tons and the longest measuring 108 feet.
There are 10,000-25,000 blue whales in the world, according to the World Wildlife Fund. They can be found off California, Chile and the Coral Triangle near Indonesia.