Marine mammal rescuers operating on Vancouver Island are reporting a high level of activity in responding to whale entanglements during the busy summer season. Paul Cottrell, who serves as the marine mammal coordinator for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, stated that his team has been attending to an average of one to two entanglements per week over the past two months, a rate consistent with the previous year. This workload includes conducting several necropsies.
Recently, the team was called out for the third time in less than two weeks to assist a humpback whale calf and its mother near the south coast of Vancouver Island. The calf had become entangled in over 100 meters of rope, which had been trailing it since July 5 when it was reported missing from the central coast of British Columbia. The team, in collaboration with U.S. counterparts, spent seven hours freeing the distressed calf.
Prior to this incident, the team had responded to two entanglement calls within two days. They successfully disentangled a whale named Wiggins for the second time in a year near French Creek on the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, followed by another rescue mission in the Alberni Inlet on the central Island. Cottrell noted that such entanglement cases are becoming more frequent, with no signs of a decrease in entanglement rates.
Hildering, a researcher and educator at the Marine Education and Research Society (MERS), acknowledged the positive impact of conservation efforts on humpback whales, which have seen a resurgence after being nearly wiped out by hunting. However, she expressed concerns that this progress is being jeopardized by the ongoing entanglement incidents. According to her observations, approximately half of the whales she has documented show signs of previous entanglements, suggesting a larger problem than commonly perceived.
Hildering emphasized the importance of prevention and education in mitigating entanglement risks, stating that while disentanglements garner attention, they do not address the root issue. She advocates for proactive measures such as promoting awareness and providing training on safe boating practices to reduce the occurrence of entanglements and protect whale populations.