Marine mammal rescuers operating on Vancouver Island have reported a significant increase in whale entanglements this summer. Paul Cottrell, the marine mammal coordinator at Fisheries and Oceans Canada, noted that his team has been busy responding to one to two entanglements per week over the past two months, consistent with last year’s figures. In addition to these incidents, they have conducted several necropsies.
Recently, the team was called to assist a humpback whale calf and its mother near the south coast of Vancouver Island. The calf was found entangled in over 100 meters of rope, which it had been dragging since July 5 when it went missing from B.C.’s central coast. After a seven-hour operation involving collaboration with U.S. counterparts, the team successfully freed the calf.
This rescue mission came shortly after two other entanglement cases within a span of two days. The team had to disentangle 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.
Cottrell expressed concern over the increasing frequency of entanglements, attributing it to the rising number of humpbacks in British Columbia’s inshore waters, a positive outcome of conservation efforts. However, this success story is marred by the risk of entanglement in fishing gear.
Jackie Hildering, a researcher and educator at the Marine Education and Research Society (MERS), emphasized the importance of conservation efforts in giving humpback whales a “second chance” after being hunted to near extinction. Despite the progress, Hildering highlighted the persistent threat of entanglements, with 50% of whales she has studied showing signs of past entanglements.
Hildering stressed the need for prevention and education as crucial measures to tackle entanglement issues effectively. She urged individuals to take a whale safe boating course developed by MERS, endorsed by the federal government, to help prevent humpback entanglements and fatalities.
