Marine mammal rescue teams on Vancouver Island have been experiencing a high volume of whale entanglements this summer. Paul Cottrell, who coordinates marine mammal efforts for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, reported that his team has been handling an average of one to two entanglements per week over the past two months, consistent with last year’s figures. Alongside responding to entanglements, the team has conducted several necropsies.
Recently, the team was called to assist 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 after disappearing from B.C.’s central coast. After a seven-hour operation involving collaboration with U.S. counterparts, the team successfully freed the calf.
This rescue mission followed two other entanglement incidents within a short period. The team spent time disentangling a whale named Wiggins for the second time in a year near French Creek before rushing to the central Island and the Alberni Inlet for another emergency response. Cottrell expressed concern over the increasing frequency of entanglements, with no signs of the rates decreasing.
Jackie Hildering, a researcher and educator at the Marine Education and Research Society (MERS), highlighted the positive impact of conservation efforts on humpback whales, which have been making a remarkable recovery after facing extinction threats. However, she raised concerns about the ongoing entanglement issues, noting that approximately half of the whales she has observed showed previous entanglement signs, possibly indicating a more widespread problem.
Hildering emphasized the importance of prevention and education in addressing entanglement issues, stating that while disentanglements receive attention, they are not a long-term solution. She advocated for increased awareness and recommended taking a whale-safe boating course developed by MERS in collaboration with the federal government to help prevent humpback entanglements and deaths.
