By DANA TIMS/YachatsNews
After spiking to record numbers a decade ago, the reported instances of whales along the West Coast getting tangled in commercial and recreational fishing gear is continuing downward trend.
That’s according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s latest report, which confirmed 27 entangled large whales last year off the coasts of Oregon, Washington and California.
The number remained above the reported entanglements prior to 2014, but extended a pattern of fewer entanglements compared to the high point of more than 50 in both 2016 and 2015.
“Those peak years had really a perfect storm in terms of the events that led to a high number of entanglements,” Lauren Saez, the NOAA Fisheries staffer who led the effort to compile the 2023 report. “And while even one entanglement is cause for great concern, it’s still a very positive thing to see the overall numbers trending downward.”
The overwhelming number of confirmed entanglements last year occurred in waters off the California coast, she said, noting that state’s extensive coastline and far higher water-facing population numbers largely accounted for California’s higher number of reported entanglements.
The three entanglements reported in Oregon matched the number contained in the agency’s 2022 report, Saez said.
Last year’s Oregon entanglements involved two humpback and one gray whale. None of those resulted in a death.
One aspect of the report spotlighted how entangled whales can travel great distances after becoming ensnared by fishing lines or Dungeness crab fishing gear.
“Of note,” according to the report, “whale entanglement response teams in Mexico successfully disentangled humpback whales from California and Oregon commercial Dungeness crab fishery gear, and a gray whale from California commercial Dungeness crab gear.”
Officials continue to track entanglements closely, Saez said, because those instances can cause mortality, various levels of injuries that can compromise the health of the individual involved and, as a result, impact the respective whales’ ability to feed or reproduce.
All three West Coast states have long worked together to try to reduce entanglements, she said. Recent actions, such as shortening crabbing seasons, reducing the overall number of traps in the water and modifying the depths in which fishing can take place are believed to have helped reduce total entanglements, Saez said.
New rules being tried this year include assigning specific colors to the crabbing gear used in each of the three respective states. The aim of that effort is to allow better tracking of exactly where new entanglements have taken place.
“More than half of whale entanglements are associated with unidentified gear,” according to the report. “The line marking would be used in addition to other markings such as buoy numbers, letters, colors, and tags.”
Another tool now being used to identify entangled whales is an online citizen science photo-identification platform known as Happywhale. The site, which is part of the West Coast Whale Entanglement Response Program, was used last year to confirm the identification of an entangled humpback whale sighted in California.
“This data sharing allowed NOAA Fisheries to better understand the length of time the whale had been entangled,” according to the report.
“The better we can track entangled whales, the better our chances of finding that individual and removing whatever it is that’s entangling them,” Saez said. “Acting as soon as possible is certainly one way to guarantee better outcomes for entangled whales.”
Dana Tims is an Oregon freelance writer who contributes regularly to YachatsNews.com. He can be reached at DanaTims24@gmail.com
