The U.S. government has confirmed 64 large whale entanglements took place in 2023, with at least half of those cases involving commercial or recreational fishing gear.
While NOAA Fisheries could not determine the origin of the lines in the remaining entanglements, the agency said “it is likely some of the cases involving only line that could not be identified to a specific source were related to fishing activities.”
“Entanglements in fishing gear or marine debris represent a continued threat to the welfare and recovery of many whale species,” NOAA Fisheries said in a release. “This includes species that are endangered and approaching extinction (e.g., North Atlantic right whales). Entanglements involving threatened or endangered species can have significant negative impacts on a population as a whole.”
Rescue teams were able to partially or completely disentangle 11 individuals. NOAA Fisheries presumes 27 are still entangled.
“Whales unable to free themselves can carry the entanglement for days, months, or even years. Entanglements often interfere with swimming, feeding, breathing, and other vital functions,” NOAA Fisheries said in a statement. “Severe entanglements can cause injuries that can result in death from infection, starvation, amputation (e.g., flippers or flukes), blood loss, strangulation, or drowning.”
A majority of the whales – 47 – were humpbacks, but 11 gray whales, four North Atlantic right whales, and two minke whales were also entangled.
According to NOAA Fisheries, the 2023 total represents a slight dip in annual whale entanglements. The 16-year average for entanglements is 71.8 incidents.
“We will continue to analyze data from 2023 to understand whether this dip is temporary or part of a longer-term downward trend,” the agency said.
Whale entanglements have put increased pressure on U.S. commercial trap and pot fisheries, where vertical lines can entangle marine mammals. On the West Coast, the state of California was forced to delay its most recent Dungeness crab season for weeks due to the presence of whales and then close early when the whales returned. Many state governments have encouraged trap and pot fisheries to switch to alternative gear that doesn’t rely on vertical lines; the California state government has operated a pilot Dungeness crab fishery with popup gear for the last two seasons.
