Entangled whale, headed toward Oregon, is a first.

In all her years, Peggy Stap hasn't seen, or heard of, anything like it: a whale entangled in metal. 

Stap, the founding director of the nonprofit Marine Life Studies and the Whale Entanglement Team, adds that it appears the entangled gray whale that swam north through Monterey Bay last week has been entangled for awhile, as the whale's blubber has grown around the metal.

"Not any team anywhere in the U.S has ever come across a whale entangled in metal," she says. 

Stap also adds that the metal is definitely not crab fishing detritus, but no one is yet sure what exactly it is.

The whale was first spotted April 1 off Newport Harbor, and was last seen April 5 near Piedras Blancas off the San Luis Obispo County coast. 

Stap and other spotters kept their eyes on the local coastal waters late last week, but the whale was not re-sighted. For that reason, Stap says, it's not known if the whale came toward the coast as it passed by Monterey Bay, or if it kept a straight line north. 

Therefore, there is a wide window in guessing the whale's present location. Stap and her team put together range of estimates based on the whale's speed, and as of April 10, it is believed to be somewhere between Point Arena and Noyo Bay in northern California. 

By April 13, the whale is expected to be off the Oregon coast. 

In an email, Stap provides the following advice for anyone who spots the whale: 

"If you see this whale, DO NOT approach or try to disentangle it. DO stay with it: take photos and video, and note the location of the whale, the travel direction, whether it is solitary or with others, and its behavior (whether it is surfacing or diving, and the length of dive times)—and immediately call NOAA Entangled Whale Hotline (1-877-SOS-WHALE) or hail USCG on VHF CH 16."