Whale entanglements reach 6-year high on the West Coast, report says. ‘Unacceptable’

Whale entanglements off the U.S. West Coast reached a six-year high in 2024, according to new data, triggering anger and alarm among conservationists.

Thirty-four whales were confirmed as entangled with fishing gear this year — which is more than any year since 2018, according to a news release from the Center for Biological Diversity, citing preliminary data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

“It’s completely unacceptable that so many whales are still becoming entangled after a decade of attention to this awful problem,” Catherine Kilduff, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, a conservation nonprofit, said in the release.

“Whales trying to survive while wrapped up in fishing rope face an absolutely brutal challenge, and entanglements can cause fin amputations, wounds, and painfully slow deaths,” Kilduff added.

Most of the entanglements, 23, were documented in California, while five were in Washington and four were in Oregon. Two were also recorded in Canada and Mexico — though these whales were wrapped in U.S. fishing gear.

The majority of the whales, 29, were humpbacks, while at least four were gray whales and one was a fin whale.

Of the 34 entanglements, 17 have been traced to specific fisheries — 12 of which were sourced to commercial Dungeness crab fisheries along the West Coast.

These entanglements were largely caused by pot gear, which are traps that use stationary vertical lines, according to the center.

If fisheries transitioned to pop-up gear — which use buoys or lift bags to propel traps to the ocean surface, removing the need for stationary lines — entanglements would be reduced.

The center proposed in 2021 that all California fisheries using pot gear be required to switch over to pop-up gear within five years, however the state has yet to approve them.

Kilduff called pop-up gear “a win-win solution,” and said “agencies should authorize its use immediately.”

When reached for comment, a spokesperson for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) directed McClatchy News to a Dec. 20 news release, which announced the commercial Dungeness crab fishery will open in January with safeguards in place to protect whales.

Namely, the fishery will open with a 50% reduction in traps.

“The trap reduction is expected to reduce entanglement risk for humpback whales by decreasing the amount of gear and vertical lines in the water,” the release said.

“Making the decision on when to open the Dungeness crab fishery is never an easy one,” CDFW Director Charlton Bonham said. “It requires careful consideration of the need to protect endangered species while sustaining the livelihood of California’s fishing communities. My action today strikes a balance between the needs of the fishery and the needs of California’s marine species.”

This story was originally published December 31, 2024 at 10:46 AM with the headline "Whale entanglements reach 6-year high on the West Coast, report says. ‘Unacceptable’."