Marine mammal rescuers operating on Vancouver Island have reported a surge in whale entanglements this summer. Paul Cottrell, who serves as the marine mammal coordinator for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, stated that his team has been dealing with an average of one to two entanglements every week for the past two months. This rate is consistent with last year’s figures and has also involved conducting several necropsies.
In the most recent incident, the team was called to assist a humpback whale calf and its mother near the south coast of Vancouver Island. The calf was found ensnared in over 100 meters of rope, which it had been towing since July 5 when it went missing from B.C.’s central coast. After tracking the gear, Cottrell’s team spent seven hours working alongside U.S. counterparts to successfully free the calf.
Prior to this rescue, the team had responded to two other entanglement cases within a span of two days. They dedicated a day and a half to disentangling a whale named Wiggins for the second time in a year near French Creek on the eastern coast of Vancouver Island before rushing to the central Island and the Alberni Inlet for another emergency call.
Cottrell expressed concern over the increasing frequency of entanglements, noting that there has been no decrease in entanglement rates despite the rising number of humpbacks in British Columbia’s inshore waters. He attributed this phenomenon to the overlapping presence of humpbacks and inshore fishing gear.
Jackie Hildering, a researcher and educator at the Marine Education and Research Society (MERS), highlighted the positive impact of conservation efforts on humpback whales, which have made a remarkable recovery after being hunted to near extinction. However, she cautioned that these conservation gains are at risk due to ongoing entanglement incidents.
Hildering emphasized the need for prevention and education to address the entanglement issue effectively. She pointed out that while disentanglements garner attention, they do not provide a long-term solution. Hildering stressed the importance of raising awareness about preventing humpback entanglements and deaths, advocating for educational initiatives such as MERS’ whale-safe boating course, which has received government endorsement.