Marine animal rescuers operating on Vancouver Island have reported a surge in whale entanglements during the busy summer season. Paul Cottrell, the marine mammal coordinator at Fisheries and Oceans Canada, confirmed that his team has been responding to an average of one to two entanglements per week over the past two months, consistent with last year’s figures. In addition to these incidents, several necropsies have also been conducted.
The most recent entanglement call occurred last week, marking the third activation of Cottrell’s team in less than two weeks. The distress call involved a humpback whale calf and its mother, found entangled in over 100 meters of rope near the south coast of Vancouver Island. Tracing the gear, Cottrell’s team determined that the calf had been ensnared since July 5, following its disappearance from British Columbia’s central coast.
A rescue operation lasting seven hours, in collaboration with U.S. counterparts, successfully freed the calf, which was a significant achievement for the team. Prior to this incident, two other entanglement cases were handled within two days. The team spent time disentangling a whale named Wiggins for the second time in a year near French Creek on the eastern coast before rushing to the central Island and the Alberni Inlet for a subsequent call.
The escalating frequency of entanglements is a concerning trend, with no indications of a decline in entanglement rates. Cottrell highlighted the increasing presence of humpback whales in inshore waters of British Columbia as a positive development, but noted the concerning overlap with inshore fishing gear.
Jackie Hildering, a researcher and educator at the Marine Education and Research Society (MERS), emphasized that conservation efforts have provided humpback whales with a “second chance” after being hunted to near extinction. However, she expressed concerns that this opportunity is being wasted, citing a high incidence of whales showing signs of previous entanglement in her research.
Hildering stressed the need for preventive measures and educational initiatives to address the entanglement issue effectively, as disentanglements, while garnering attention, may not ensure long-term survival for the whales. She advocated for greater awareness and education on how to prevent humpback entanglements and deaths, recommending individuals on the water to undertake a whale safe boating course developed by MERS with government backing.