Marine animal rescuers operating on Vancouver Island have reported a busy summer dealing with whale entanglements. Paul Cottrell, the marine mammal coordinator at Fisheries and Oceans Canada, stated that his team has been responding to an average of one to two entanglements every week over the past two months, which aligns with similar figures from the previous year. They have also conducted several necropsies in addition to the entanglement responses.
In the most recent incident last week, the team was called out for the third time in under two weeks to assist a humpback whale calf and its mother near the south coast of Vancouver Island. The calf was ensnared in over 100 meters of rope, which it had been dragging since July 5, when it was reported missing from B.C.’s central coast. The team, working in collaboration with U.S. counterparts, spent seven hours freeing the calf from the entanglement.
Cottrell highlighted the significance of rescuing every animal, emphasizing the gratification his team felt in aiding the calf. Prior to this rescue, the team had responded to two entanglement calls in as many days. They spent time disentangling a whale named Wiggins for the second time in a year near French Creek on the eastern coast of Vancouver Island before heading to the central Island and the Alberni Inlet for another rescue operation.
The frequency of entanglements is a growing concern, with no signs of a decrease in entanglement rates. Cottrell noted the increasing presence of humpback whales in British Columbia’s inshore waters, attributing it to a positive conservation story known as the “humpback comeback.” However, he expressed concern over the concurrent rise in entanglements due to fishing gear overlap.
Researcher and educator Jackie Hildering from the Marine Education and Research Society (MERS) acknowledged the success of conservation efforts in granting humpback whales a second chance from near extinction. However, she raised alarms about the persistent entanglement issue, noting that 50% of whales she has observed through research show signs of previous entanglements, potentially underestimating the true extent of entanglement incidents.
Hildering stressed the importance of prevention and education as more effective measures than reactive disentanglements. She emphasized the need for informed action to prevent humpback entanglements and fatalities, recommending the uptake of a whale safe boating course developed by MERS, endorsed by the federal government, for those navigating the waters.
