Two entangled humpbacks now gear free in Hawaii

Two whales are swimming free this week after rescuers in the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary were able to disentangle two separate entangled humpbacks reported in the sanctuary.

Humpback whales are some of the largest animals on earth, growing up to 60 feet long and weighing up to 40 tons–about 20 times as heavy as a car. They’re a favorite for whale watches, because they swim close to shore and enjoy jumping out of the water–also known as breaching–and flapping their fins on the surface.

One of the entangled humpbacks freed this week was a “subadult” and had a 200 foot fishing line through its mouth, while the other had heavy rope wrapped three times around its body in addition to the gear in its mouth. Without the intervention of disentanglement teams, officials said it was likely that both entanglements would have been life-threatening.

Both whales had likely been suffering for a while–the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration staff were able to recover the gear in both cases and confirmed that it was from Alaska fisheries.

We’re glad that the whale watch vessel and members of the public who spotted these imperiled humpbacks reported the sightings to authorities, and that rescuers were able to mount a successful disentanglement effort in both cases. For many entangled whales, this type of response is impossible, if we can’t find the whale or conditions at sea make approaching the whale in a light boat unsafe. And most entanglements will go unnoticed or unreported.

So while we should do whatever we can to help entangled whales in trouble, the best way to keep whales safe is to make sure they don’t get entangled in the first place. Ropeless gear, in testing in New England and California, holds the promise of a future where whales can roam the seas free from fishing gear entanglements.

But for now, we wish these two newly-unencumbered whales all the best as they recover and return to their days of swimming in the great blue Pacific.