25% Drop in Whale Entanglement Reported From Previous Year; Agency Warns Marine Mammals Remain a ‘Critical Threat’

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said earlier this week that there was a 25-percent drop in whale entanglement from the past year and a lower number than the 13-year average.

As specified in a Phys.org report, the number of whales entangled in fishing gear has dropped recently, although the "entanglements stay a critical threat to rare species," according to the federal government. Specifically, the NOAA reported, that there were 53 confirmed cases of large whales entangled in gear in the United States in 2020.

Essentially, entanglement in fishing gear is one of the two biggest threats to decreasing whale species, specifically North Atlantic right whales, which number less than 340 worldwide. The other threat is whales' collisions with ships.

A Drop in Whale Entanglements

NOAA also said that each coastal region, except Alaska, saw a drop in whale entanglements. The agency added it will take more studies to identify the cause of such a decrease in entanglements, and it is plausible that the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic of both fishing activities and reporting of data could have played a vital role.

In a report, the agency said that it is possible as well, that factors not related to the pandemic could have played a role because some regions have reported large-scale environmental changes such as marine heat waves that may be impacting large whale entanglement rates and reporting, as well.

More than 50 percent of the entangled whales were humpback whales, which are famous to whale watchers and have a somewhat stable global population.

Nonetheless, four of the whales were North Atlantic right whales, which are, in the idle of population decrease because of recent years of high mortality and poor reproduction.

Researchers and Conservationists Sounding the Alarms

A similar NewsXpro report said that the right whales give birth off Georgia and Florida, and migrate north to the waters of Canada and New England to feed.

Researchers and conservationists have sounded alarms in recent years that warming waters appear to be causing the ways to stay from the ocean's protected areas in search of food.

The present level of entanglements is more than these marine animals can stand, according to Kristen Monsell, an attorney with a conservatory group, Center for Biological Diversity.

The group, as well as the others, pushed to tighten restrictions more, in terms of commercial fishing to prevent whale entanglements.

Monsell explained these reports are showing far too many endangered whales "are caught in fishing gear," specifically since reported entanglements are only the "tip of the iceberg."

What is Whale Entanglement?

On its website, the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary describes entanglement as an increasing problem worldwide. It impacts a lot of marine mammal species, and it can deadly.

Whale entanglement may take place with gear linked to certain fisheries or other operations that put lines, nets, or other equipment into the ocean.

For tinier marine mammals such as dolphins, porpoises, sea lions, seals, and dolphins, death is usually because by drowning or other deadly impacts.

Huge whales like endangered humpback and blue whales can carry entangling gear for several months at a time, and over thousands of miles, resulting in starvation, physical trauma, exhaustion, infection, potential drowning, and restricted movement. It may put whales at higher risk of other threats too, like ship strikes.

Related information about whale entanglement is shown on Ifaw's YouTube video below:

Check out more news and information on Whales in Science Times.