Marine mammal rescuers operating on Vancouver Island have reported a surge in whale entanglements this summer. Paul Cottrell, responsible for marine mammals at Fisheries and Oceans Canada, mentioned that his team has been dealing with one to two entanglements weekly over the past two months, consistent with last year’s figures. Additionally, they have conducted several necropsies during this period.
The most recent incident occurred last week when a humpback whale calf, accompanied by its mother, was discovered ensnared in over 100 meters of rope near the south coast of Vancouver Island. The calf had been entangled since July 5, after being reported missing from B.C.’s central coast.
Cottrell’s team successfully freed the calf after a seven-hour effort, collaborating with U.S. counterparts. This rescue followed two prior entanglement calls within a span of two days. The team untangled a whale named Wiggins for the second time in a year near French Creek on Vancouver Island’s eastern coast before rushing to the central Island and the Alberni Inlet for another entanglement rescue.
The frequency of entanglements shows no signs of decreasing, potentially exacerbated by the increasing presence of humpback whales in British Columbia’s inshore waters. This positive trend, known as the “humpback comeback,” is overshadowed by entanglements with inshore fishing gear, according to Cottrell.
Jackie Hildering, a researcher and educator at the Marine Education and Research Society (MERS), highlighted the efforts in humpback whale conservation, attributing their recovery to increased conservation actions. However, she expressed concerns that these conservation gains might be diminishing due to ongoing entanglement incidents.
Hildering emphasized the prevalence of entanglement cases based on her research findings, suggesting that disentanglements, while garnering attention, might not ensure long-term survival for the whales. She stressed the importance of prevention and education as more effective strategies. Hildering recommended taking a whale safe boating course developed by MERS, endorsed by the federal government, as a proactive measure to reduce humpback entanglements and fatalities.