A humpback whale found caught up in rope has probably died, according to Bermuda whale expert Andrew Stevenson.

Mr. Stevenson spotted the whale last week and the rope, which could be clearly seen, was thought to have caught inside the creature's mouth.

He spent 15 hours on Sunday looking for the whale but despite seeing about 30 others, he could seen no sign of the troubled creature.

"I have shown pictures to some experts abroad and they were not very optimistic about the whale's chance of survival," said Mr. Stevenson. "It was a very severe tangle."

On Sunday Mr. Stevenson also found a large chunk of whale blubber which he said was probably left over from a carcass which had been eaten by sharks.

Because whales are protected animals, the importation and deportation of whale parts is illegal Mr. Stevenson hopes that the blubber can be analysed locally.