December 7, 2018 — The number of large whales entangled in U.S. waters was a little worse than usual in 2017, but entanglements of right whales and in the Northeast were down.
In a report released Thursday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed 76 large whales were found entangled in fishing gear or marine debris in U.S. waters in 2017. Six of the 76 entangled whales were found dead, 45 were presumed to be alive but still entangled, four had freed themselves and 21 were freed by good samaritans or members of the national Large Whale Entanglement Response Network.
“Entanglement in fishing gear or marine debris is a very serious conservation and welfare issue,” said Sarah Wilkin, a national stranding and emergency response coordinator and one of the authors of the NOAA Fisheries report. “It can kill or seriously injure large whales. Entanglements that involve threatened or endangered species can have significant population level effects as well.”