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Humpback whales are an endangered species protected under several federal laws.

The Fish and Game vessel Solstice was conducting routine winter herring research in Sawmill Bay about 100 miles southwest of Valdez on Thursday evening when the accident occurred.

"This is the kind of terribly unfortunate accident that saddens all of us," said Denby Lloyd, director of Fish and Game's division of commercial fisheries.

Two biologists and two crew members could not see the whale and did not detect it with sonar equipment, Barry said. As soon as they noticed the whale's tail and realized it was trapped, they worked for about a half-hour to untangle the 50-foot animal, he said. They cut the net and lines and let loose as much mesh netting as possible, he said.

Humpbacks can stay submerged for as long as 30 minutes, although most dives do not last longer than 15 minutes.

The whale, estimated to be 30 to 40 tons, sank with the boat's net in 200 feet of water.

Biologists and crew normally take precautions to ensure that no marine mammals are in the vicinity when conducting the herring research, said Jeff Regnart, Fish and Game's regional supervisor for Prince William Sound.

He said an internal investigation will be conducted to determine if the department can avoid such accidents in the future.

Recent studies indicate that about 100 humpbacks are in Prince William Sound.

The crew and biologists on the Solstice were staying at the scene to see if the carcass floats back up. The boat will be used by personnel from the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward and the National Marine Fisheries Service to perform tests on the animal, Barry said.

Humpbacks can be seen all year in Alaska, although most animals travel south to Mexico, Hawaii or the western Pacific to winter. Twentieth-century whaling greatly depleted the population of the species before it was granted protection in 1966.