By Julie McIntire Corey
Journal contributor
Sightings of an entangled humpback whale first began on July 10 near the Campbell River, BC. Canadian boaters have been on high alert looking for the whale that they feared was injured. The following day, The Whale Museum’s Research Director Jessica Farrer began fielding reports at the Museum.
On July 23, report came it that an entangled humpback was near the south end of Lopez.
“I quickly launched the {Whale Museum’s] Soundwatch team and we were able to find the entangled humpback whale,” Farrer said.
Farrer and her crew wanted to look at its condition and the severity of the entanglement, and a drone was the best option. They called in and received regional permission to fly the drone, but unfortunately, the drone was only in the air for a short time, however, they discovered, as shown by photos and short drone aerials, that the fluke, or tail, of the whale was missing.
According to the San Juan County Marine Mammal Stranding Network’s FaceBook alert, the animal appeared normal at first sight. “When the whale arched its back for a dive, this individual’s injury was immediately apparent… the fluke has been completely severed off, believed to be the result of a very long-term entanglement in some type of gear,” the press release stated, adding that Humpback whales are famous for their flukes; each individual has a pattern on the underside of the fluke unique to the individual, much like a zebra’s stripes. Aside from allowing scientists to identify and track individuals, the fluke is a whale’s main source of propulsion. Without its fluke, its ability to effectively migrate, feed and move is seriously compromised and it must expend more energy due to swimming abnormally.
Unfortunately, the entangled whale swam into a Whidbey Island Naval Air Station-associated no-fly zone location. Although no longer able to get aerials from the drone, the SoundWatch crew stayed with the whale until it could no longer be spotted.
According to Farrer, she and her crew wrote a report about the July 23 encounter. There have been no reports of the humpback as of press time.
There are over 500 boats registered in San Juan County; if half of those boats have shrimp pots, crab pots, and fishing lines in the water during that season, it increases a whale’s chances of having a serious life-threatening encounter. The government agencies that work side-by-side to help these victims of whale entanglement are the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Large Whale Entanglement Response Network. Their West Coast division responds to large whale entanglements along Washington, Oregon, and California’s coast. These agencies release annual summaries of their encounters. NOAA publishes a separate entanglement report that includes all national data.
The 2023 West Coast Whale Entanglement Summary was released in June 2024. The informational report said 27 entangled whale encounters off the Washington, Oregon, and California coasts. The worst year was 2016, with over 50 reports of entangled whales. In 2023, humpback whales continued to be the high-impact species with 16 separate reports, followed by nine gray whales and two transient orcas in Saratoga Pass/ Puget Sound. The orcas and one gray whale were able to free themselves and did not need human intervention.
The 2023 summary also described a new buoy tracking device called Scout. It is a much-needed upgrade to the old tracking system they have used for 15 years to tag and track entangled whales. Scout is lighter, produces 35% less drag on the entangled whale, and broadcasts the location in real-time making it an up-to-date G.P.S. system.
Human volunteers are crucial to these fantastic life-saving efforts. A free online training course is available for Level 1 Responders. The duties of a Level 1 Responder are spotting from a distance, reporting, and documenting entanglement if possible. Responding levels go up to five. One Level 5 responder and Research Biologist Jenn Tackaberry spoke at The Whale Museum recently about large whale entanglements. Tackaberry provided information about the increasing numbers of entangled whales as well as training and other research.
The Journal spoke with a Level 5 Responder, who requested not to have his name shared. The responder told a heartfelt story about how the whales react to being cut free from their entanglement. “I have had several eye-to-eye encounters,” he stated, and has felt an upwelling of emotions afterward. “Most of the whales’ tails slap and breach as they swim free,” the Level 5 Responder said, adding that he will never forget those experiences.
“This whale serves as a harsh reminder of how dangerous and costly entanglements in marine debris can be to marine mammals. If you see an entangled marine animal, immediately call 1-877-767-9425 or report to the USCG on VHF channel 16. Do not attempt to approach, disentangle, or remove any gear from the whale,” the Stranding Networks FaceBook alert stated.
If a distressed, sick, or dead marine mammal is encountered, call the San Juan County Marine Mammal Stranding Network hotline at 1-800-562-8832. Remember to Be Whale Wise (https://www.bewhalewise.org/) and abide by all marine wildlife viewing laws and regulations.
For boating around Humpback and other baleen whales:
→ Maintain a distance of at least 100 yards/meters (US/CAN),
→ 200 yards/meters when resting or with a calf,
→ Reduce speed to less than seven knots when within ½ mile or 1000 meters.
Please visit the links for continuing education on what can be done to keep whales healthy and safe and updates on whale entanglement.
