SEKIU, Wash. -- Rescuers have been unsuccessful Sunday locating a young humpback whale near Sekiu in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, said John Calambokidis of Cascadia Research.

The Port Angeles Coast Guard received a call around 11 a.m. Saturday that the 30-foot whale had crab lines wrapped around its body.

Makah Fisheries along with Cascadia Research responded to the young whale and put marker floats and a tracking radio tag on the whale, but were unable to free the whale from the crab lines, Calambokidis said.

Researchers suspect it has been entangled for quite some time.

"It had scars and rope marks on the upper part of its body including around its fin, including a line that had been embedded and already scarred the tissue," said Calambokidis.

When the crews returned Sunday morning, they were unable to locate the whale.

“We had some difficulty because the marker floats and radio transmitter that we put on last night got cut away by a well intentioned fisherman who didn't realize that those were actually part of the rescue effort to help us disentangle the animal," Calambokidis said.

Researchers said the health of the whale has already been compromised and now timing could mean everything to its survival.

"Unless we succeed in removing these lines it would be fatal to the animal," Calambokidis said.

The rescue effort has been suspended pending new sightings of the young whale.

Boaters and people on land are encouraged to call authorities immediately if they spot the whale and are asked not to approach it.