SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Preliminary 2024 data from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries shows 34 whales — the highest number since 2018 — became entangled in fishing gear this year off the West Coast, E&E News reported Thursday, citing a NOAA spokesperson. The data will be made public next year, E&E said.
Off the Pacific coast of the United States, whales often get entangled in vertical rope lines often used to catch Dungeness crabs. Once entangled, whales can drag the heavy gear for months, exhausting them to the point of starvation, slicing into their skin, making them vulnerable to disease and eventually, killing many of them.
Ropeless fishing gear that doesn’t use vertical lines is a proven solution to this ongoing threat to whales. Environment America and its state groups have been encouraging the fishing industry to transition away from traditional gear to newer, more whale-safe technologies.
In response to the new NOAA statistics, Environment California State Director Laura Deehan and Environment Oregon Oceans Campaign Advocate Ian Giancarlo released the following statements:
“Nearly 40 years ago, the world came together to save our whales from the practice of whaling. Along our West Coast, we have been lucky enough to see the outcome of that unified conservation campaign: Many whale species’ populations have rebounded,” said Deehan. “Now, these gentle giants are once again at risk — only this time, we don’t even mean to hurt them. We’re glad to see some fishermen and state agencies working to keep our whales from getting entangled, and we hope that these efforts ramp up in coming years.”
“With today’s conventional gear, fishing and crabbing in the Pacific will, at times, threaten whales that we’re called on to protect. That creates real tension between the people trying to provide food for Americans and the whales that face sometimes-tragic consequences,” said Giancarlo. “We don’t need to witness so much tragedy. The more often fishermen use the ropeless gear, the less often the gear will entangle magnificent, giant ocean dwellers such as the humpback whale. We urge fishermen to make the transition, and we urge the incoming administration and Congress to help fishermen by providing funding for them to switch to the newer, whale-safe gear. Good stewardship of our ocean life calls for that.”
