Marine mammal rescuers operating on Vancouver Island have reported a surge in whale entanglements this summer. Paul Cottrell, the marine mammal coordinator at Fisheries and Oceans Canada, stated that his team has been addressing an average of one to two entanglements per week over the past two months, consistent with last year’s figures. Additionally, they have conducted several necropsies. The most recent incident occurred last week when a humpback whale calf, along with its mother, was discovered entangled in over 100 meters of rope near the south coast of Vancouver Island. Cottrell explained that the calf had been dragging the rope since July 5 after going missing from B.C.’s central coast.
The rescue team, in collaboration with U.S. counterparts, spent seven hours freeing the entangled calf. Just prior to that, they had responded to two entanglement calls within two days, one involving the disentanglement of a whale named Wiggins for the second time in a year near French Creek and another in the Alberni Inlet on the central Island. Cottrell expressed concern over the increasing frequency of such incidents, with entanglement rates showing no signs of decline.
Jackie Hildering, a researcher and educator at the Marine Education and Research Society (MERS), highlighted the positive impact of conservation efforts on humpback whale populations, which have rebounded from near extinction. However, she voiced apprehension about the ongoing entanglement issue, noting that half of the whales she has studied exhibited signs of previous entanglements. Hildering emphasized the importance of prevention and education in addressing the problem, underscoring the need for public awareness on how to mitigate humpback entanglements. She recommended participation in MERS’ whale-safe boating course, endorsed by the federal government, as a proactive measure to safeguard marine wildlife.