Marine mammal rescuers operating on Vancouver Island have reported a high volume of whale entanglements this summer. Paul Cottrell, who serves as the marine mammal co-ordinator for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, mentioned that his team has been attending to approximately 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, marking the third activation of Cottrell’s team in less than two weeks. This time, they responded to a humpback whale calf entangled near the south coast of Vancouver Island, entwined in over 100 meters of rope, alongside its mother. The team traced the gear and determined that the calf had been dragging the rope since July 5, after it was reported missing from British Columbia’s central coast.
In a joint effort with U.S. counterparts, Cottrell’s team devoted seven hours to freeing the calf from the entanglement. Cottrell expressed immense satisfaction in saving the calf, emphasizing the significance of safeguarding every animal.
Before this rescue, the team had handled two entanglement cases within two days. They spent a day and a half disentangling a whale named Wiggins for the second time within a year near French Creek on Vancouver Island’s eastern coast, followed by another call to the central Island and the Alberni Inlet. Cottrell highlighted the increasing frequency of such incidents, with no indication of entanglement rates decreasing.
Jackie Hildering, a researcher and educator at the Marine Education and Research Society (MERS), praised the conservation efforts that have facilitated the recovery of humpback whales, once on the brink of extinction. However, she expressed concerns about the current situation, indicating that despite the rescue efforts, the entanglement issue persists.
According to Hildering, approximately 50% of the whales she has observed in her research exhibit signs of past entanglements, suggesting that the actual number could be higher. She emphasized the need for prevention and education as more effective strategies, advocating for informed actions to mitigate humpback entanglements and fatalities. Hildering recommended taking a whale safe boating course developed by MERS, endorsed by the federal government, to promote safe interactions with marine life.