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Roughly three in four reported whale entanglements end in death, government estimates show
Launched in March 2024 by Oceana, the largest international advocacy organisation dedicated solely to ocean conservation, the campaign calls on decision-makers to do more for marine animals caught in fishing lines along the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington. Underwater photographer Alvaro Herrero encountered the humpback whale shown in the campaign off the coast of Baja California in November 2023. In 2023, 27 whales were confirmed entangled in fishing gear off California, Oregon and Washington, and five of them were humpback whales caught in California commercial Dungeness crab gear. Government estimates put the death rate for reported whale entanglements at roughly 75%. In February 2024, Oceana applauded the California Ocean Protection Council for authorising new funding for ropeless technology in the state’s commercial Dungeness crab fishery.
Because most cases go undetected, the confirmed numbers capture only part of the problem, entanglement is also a top threat to endangered animals such as humpback whales and leatherback sea turtles, and. Because ropeless fishing gear removes the threat of vertical lines, shester said an innovative solution lets fishers catch Dungeness crab in the spring months while protecting whales and sea turtles,. Using information from the gear tag, the National Marine Fisheries Service confirmed that the line came from California’s commercial Dungeness crab fishery. Oceana called for stricter closures of vertical line gear, comprehensive line marking and new measures to prevent lost fishing gear.
Herrero said the animal was covered in millions of sea lice, its spine was bent, its tail was rotting away, and the smell was immense. He said the whale seemed to look at him with sadness, and he hopes the image acts as a wake-up call about what humans are doing to the oceans. Geoff Shester, California campaign director and senior scientist at Oceana, said entangled whales can drag heavy lines and gear for weeks, if not months, before succumbing to their wounds. The organisation said it would work with fishers, gear manufacturers, fishery managers and enforcement officers on large-scale testing and authorisation of ropeless gear for spring months when waters are closed to conventional gear.
Whale entanglement in fishing gear off the West Coast of the United States is the focus of the Whales in Crisis public service announcement campaign featuring actress Cobie Smulders . His colleagues managed to free the whale from fishing line wound tightly around its tail, but its injuries were deadly. Efforts to reduce harm, including closing fishing zones and cutting the amount of gear in the water, had not brought entanglements within the level allowed under federal law by the time of the campaign launch. Ropeless gear is also called pop-up or on-demand gear. It also urged California, Oregon and Washington to strengthen protections whenever conventional gear is used.
