Marine mammal rescuers working on Vancouver Island have reported a significant increase in whale entanglements this summer. Paul Cottrell, the marine mammal coordinator at Fisheries and Oceans Canada, revealed that his team has been dealing with an average of one to two entanglements weekly for the past two months, mirroring last year’s figures. Additionally, they have conducted several necropsies during this period.
The most recent entanglement involved a humpback whale calf and its mother near the south coast of Vancouver Island. The calf was found ensnared in over 100 meters of rope, which it had been dragging since July 5 when it went missing from British Columbia’s central coast.
Cottrell’s team successfully freed the calf after a seven-hour operation, collaborating with U.S. counterparts. He emphasized the importance of saving every animal, highlighting the team’s satisfaction in aiding the stranded calf.
Prior to this incident, his team had responded to two entanglement calls within two days. They spent time disentangling a whale named Wiggins for the second time in a year near French Creek and then rushed to the Alberni Inlet on another call. Cottrell expressed concern over the increasing frequency of entanglements, indicating no decline in entanglement rates.
According to Jackie Hildering, a researcher and educator at the Marine Education and Research Society (MERS), efforts to conserve humpback whales have provided them with a “second chance” after being hunted to the brink of extinction. However, Hildering cautioned that this opportunity is at risk of being wasted.
She highlighted that approximately 50% of the whales she has observed through research show signs of previous entanglements, indicating a more significant issue than commonly perceived. Hildering stressed the importance of prevention and education over reactive measures like disentanglements, advocating for long-term solutions to protect whale populations.
To address the entanglement crisis, Hildering recommended educating individuals on preventing humpback entanglements and fatalities. She promoted a whale-safe boating course developed by MERS, endorsed by the federal government, as a proactive measure to safeguard marine life.