Marine mammal rescuers operating on Vancouver Island have reported a surge in whale entanglements this summer. Paul Cottrell, the marine mammal coordinator at Fisheries and Oceans Canada, revealed that his team has been called to address one to two entanglements per week over the past two months. These numbers are consistent with last year’s figures, along with several necropsies conducted.
The most recent entanglement incident occurred last week when a humpback whale calf, together with its mother, was discovered entangled in over 100 meters of rope near the south coast of Vancouver Island. The calf had been dragging the rope since July 5 when it went missing from the central coast of British Columbia.
Cottrell’s team spent seven hours working alongside U.S. counterparts to free the calf from the entanglement. This rescue effort marked the third activation of the team in less than two weeks, with previous instances involving disentangling a whale named Wiggins near French Creek and responding to another entanglement in the Alberni Inlet on Vancouver Island’s central coast.
Cottrell highlighted the escalating frequency of entanglement incidents, attributing the rise to the increasing presence of humpback whales in inshore waters of British Columbia. While this resurgence of humpback populations is a positive development, it has led to more interactions with fishing gear, posing risks to the whales.
Researcher and educator Jackie Hildering, associated with the Marine Education and Research Society (MERS), acknowledged the conservation successes that have afforded humpback whales a “second chance” after being nearly wiped out due to hunting activities. However, she expressed concerns about the persistent challenges faced by these marine mammals.
Hildering emphasized the importance of prevention and education in mitigating entanglement risks, advocating for proactive measures to safeguard humpback whales. She stressed that while disentanglements receive attention, long-term survival outcomes for rescued whales remain uncertain, underscoring the need for comprehensive solutions to address the root causes of entanglements.
To tackle this issue, Hildering recommended promoting awareness and offering educational resources such as the whale safe boating course developed by MERS, endorsed by the federal government, to equip individuals with the knowledge on preventing humpback entanglements and fatalities.