A response team is still on the lookout for an entangled, adult humpback whale that was sighted off of Lahaina, Maui, over the weekend.

A tour vessel, Cane Fire, first reported the entangled whale on Sunday morning, according to Ed Lyman, large whale entanglement response coordinator for the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. A trained team of responders, coordinated by the Sanctuary and authorized under NOAA’s Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program, mounted a two-day effort to free the animal.

This was a particularly challenging entanglement, according to Lyman, due to the configuration of gear. After numerous attempts to disentangle the whale in challenging ocean conditions, the team was able to remove some of the gear, including a buoy. But the whale remains entangled, and the team is ready to respond if the whale is sighted again.

“Responders must always weigh the risk to personnel and potential further harm to the entangled whale,” said Lyman in an e-mail. “If the entangled whale is located again, the network is prepared to respond.”

In the meantime, the gear recovered will be analyzed for its origins and used as part of research to mitigate future threats.

NOAA reminds the public that people should not attempt to free an entangled whale themselves due to the dangers of working around a 40-ton, 45-foot whale which requires authorization. Anyone who spots an entangled whale can call NOAA’s hotline at 888-256-9840 or the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF Channel 16.