Marine animal rescuers operating on Vancouver Island have reported a busy summer season dealing with whale entanglements. Paul Cottrell, the marine mammal coordinator at Fisheries and Oceans Canada, mentioned 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. Additionally, they have conducted several necropsies during this time.
The latest entanglement incident occurred last week, marking the third activation of Cottrell’s team in less than two weeks. They responded to a humpback whale calf and its mother near the southern coast of Vancouver Island, entangled in over 100 meters of rope. The calf had been dragging the rope since July 5, after being reported missing from British Columbia’s central coast.
The team spent seven hours working with their U.S. counterparts to free the calf, a successful effort that Cottrell described as crucial in saving the animal. Prior to this, they had untangled a whale named Wiggins over a day and a half near French Creek, and then swiftly responded to another entanglement call in the Alberni Inlet on Vancouver Island’s central coast.
Cottrell expressed concern over the increasing frequency of entanglement incidents, particularly with the rising number of humpback whales in British Columbia’s coastal waters. While he acknowledged the positive “humpback comeback” story due to conservation efforts, he highlighted the concerning overlap with fishing gear in these areas.
Jackie Hildering, a researcher and educator at the Marine Education and Research Society (MERS), emphasized the importance of conservation efforts in providing a second chance for humpback whales, which were previously on the brink of extinction due to hunting. However, she expressed worries about the ongoing entanglement issues, noting that 50% of the whales she has studied showed signs of previous entanglements, possibly underestimating the true extent of the problem.
Hildering stressed the need for prevention and education as more effective strategies than reactive disentanglement efforts. She emphasized the importance of informing the public about ways to prevent entanglements and whale deaths, advocating for participation in MERS’ whale-safe boating course endorsed by the federal government.
Overall, the rescue team’s efforts in responding to multiple entanglements underscore the ongoing challenges faced by marine wildlife in the region, prompting a call for proactive measures to protect these majestic creatures.