Entanglements in fishing gear using traps to catch lobster and crab continue to be one of the leading causes of large whale deaths across the US – with the number of reported deaths continuing to show a steep increase, according to NOAA data.

Last year, 95 large whales were confirmed entangled compared to 64 in 2023, a figure well above the historical average of around 71 per year. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that such entanglements were sighted most frequently in waters off California, Massachusetts, Alaska, and Hawaii. Most cases involved threatened or endangered humpback whales, with critically endangered North Atlantic right whales also impacted.

Whales unable to free themselves can carry the entanglement for days, months, or even years often interfering with the animals ability to swim, feed, breathe, or perform other vital functions. Severe entanglements can cause injuries that result in death from infection, starvation, amputation, blood loss, strangulation, or drowning.

“The largest animals on the planet don’t stand a chance when there are too many fishing lines in times and places that are important to whales. These numbers represent more than dead whales, they showcase needless suffering. This report paints a clear picture: our current safeguards are not enough,” said Gib Brogan, Oceana’s senior campaign director to protect North Atlantic right whales.

The report follows a recent spate of budget cuts to the NOAA alongside recent threats to weaken the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) currently being discussed in Congress. It’s feared that in the wake of such financing issues, the number of whale deaths could climb even higher next year.

“To give whales a fighting chance, Congress must defend NOAA and core laws like the MMPA and accelerate the transition to whale-safe fishing solutions like ropeless or pop-up fishing gear to prevent off-the-charts entanglements,” said Brogan.

Following the launch of the NOAA report, the ocean advocacy organisation has issued a list of recommendations to better protect large whales and other marine mammals while supporting a thriving fishing industry. These include reducing the number of vertical lines in the water while advancing alternative fishing gear; maintaining a fully-funded and fully-staffed NOAA; and support for a strong ‘federal management’ that will work with fishermen to reduce whale entanglements.

“Fishery managers need to do more to provide whales with safe passage in US waters,” said Geoff Shester, Oceana’s California campaign director and senior scientist. “Despite efforts to shorten the Californian Dungeness crab season, too many humpback whales are being entangled because the season for using conventional traps is going on too long.

“Innovative pop-up fishing gear can restore fishing opportunities while allowing whales to safely migrate and feed. Experimental trials in the California Dungeness crab fishery – the largest and most successful of their kind – show that their gear design is profitable, reliable, and safe for whales. 

“As fishers, gear manufacturers, and state wildlife officials embrace this innovation, we need the federal government to support fishers using pop-up gear and fully fund whale disentanglement teams and the National Marine Fisheries Service so they can continue the important work of protecting threatened and endangered whales.”

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