Since 2017, 99 North Atlantic right whales have been reported in poor health, seriously injured or dead due to fishing gear entanglements. With only 370 right whales left on Earth, the number of entanglements is far too high if we want this population to recover. And on January 28, 2024, we discovered another whale lost to entanglement – female right whale #5120 – the tenth whale to lose its life due to fishing gear in 7 years. One year later, #5120’s story and reminds us of the dangers whales face every day from fishing gear.
#5120’s life was cut far too short
In 2021, after a year-long pregnancy, a female named Squilla gave birth to right whale #5120. However, #5120 didn’t have long before she encountered the first threat to her life; in August 2022, she was spotted with her tail entangled in a rope off the coast of Shippagan, New Brunswick. Since she was so young and not full grown, the rope would tighten as she grew, so scientists determined that the entanglement was serious.
In January 2023, rescue teams attempted to disentangle #5120 several times after spotting her in Cape Cod Bay. Due to unfavorable weather conditions and the overall difficulty of disentanglement, they failed to remove the rope.
By June 2023 her condition had worsened. #5120 was last seen alive back off the coast of Shippagan feeding with other whales with severe wounds from the rope around her tail. At this point, #5120 had been entangled for almost a year, and the rope cutting into her tail would have put the young right whale in a painful state.
Her death came in January of 2024 at just three years old. #5120 was found near Joseph Sylvia State Beach on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. Her cause of death was determined to be chronic entanglement. The heartbreaking reality is that #5120 spent most of her short life bound in rope, and slowly – over the course of two years – succumbed to her painful wounds.
We can’t afford to lose any more female right whales
It will always be devastating to hear of the loss of any right whale at the hands of humans, but #5120’s passing was especially heartbreaking. #5120 was a female, and with only 70 reproductive female right whales left, her death meant the loss of a future mother who could have brought new calves into the population.
If we want to save right whales from going extinct, we need to first protect the mothers and calves who are the most vulnerable to these accidents. If we don’t allow female calves to grow up to be mothers, the species will not recover.
Fishing entanglements are far too common
More than 300,000 whales and dolphins die from entanglement every single year. And in the last seven years, ten of those have been right whales, with 35 still-living right whales currently suffering from serious injuries due to entanglements.
Chronic entanglements are a slow and painful way to die. When a whale is entangled it can lead to infection of the wound and make it difficult for whales to eat, breathe, and swim properly. The grim reality is that it can take years for a whale to finally succumb to their injuries, meaning they live a life of pain for far too long.
Solutions: ropeless fishing gear
There are ways to prevent entanglements – we simply need to get the rope out of the water. The technology is there: ropeless fishing gear is already being used by some fishermen. This gear eliminates the use of the vertical rope that whales and other marine animals often swim through and consequently get caught in. If fishermen switch to ropeless gear, we could save thousands of whales like #5120 every year.
On the anniversary of her death, we can remember her life, and work to make sure the other members of her species live longer, happier lives.
