Entanglements in commercial and aquaculture gear cause significant injuries and sometimes death to whales in British Columbia. Gear such as rope and nets wraps around the pectoral fins, tails and mouths of Cetaceans, cutting into their body and affecting their ability to swim and feed. The result could be starvation leading to their death. Whales can also be anchored by crab traps, prawn traps, and aquaculture gear which can lead to drowning.
Each year, many entangled whales are reported to the Canadian Department of Fisheries. Much of the BC coast is remote so many entanglements probably occur without being reported every year. In addition, disentanglements in isolated areas of the province are difficult due to means of transportation of authorized and qualified individuals to those areas. Species that are regularly found entangled in BC waters are Pacific White-Sided dolphins, Harbour porpoise, Orca, and Humpback Whales. From studying the scarring on the tails of Humpback whales, research indicates that as many as one out of two Humpbacks in BC waters have been entangled in fishing gear sometime in their life.
Humpback whale tail caught in rope during the summer of 2015. Photo credit: Paul Cottrell
What can you do?
- – If you are fishing or setting a trap, use sinking lines only (no polypropylene rope) and ensure that excess lines are weighed down. In addition, check that the rope is in a straight line and there are no loops.
- – Participate in community events that clean up beaches and shorelines, to remove debris including rope that can affect marine animals.
- – If you see a marine mammal (or even a sea turtle) entangled or in distress, call the BC Marine Mammal Response Network hotline 24 hours a day at 1-800-465-4336. Remain with the animal as much as possible so that it can be easily located when qualified authorities arrive. Do not make any attempt to disentangle the animal yourself, as it is very dangerous to you!
- – If you have questions, contact WOWs by facebook.com/wildoceanwhalesociety, or by the toll free hotline 1-877-323-9776, or go to our website www.wows.org .
