Entanglements have surpassed ship strikes as a leading danger to right whales in recent years. Forty-four percent of diagnosed right whale deaths were due to ship strikes and 35 percent were due to entanglements from 1970 to 2009, the study said. From 2010 to 2015, 15 percent of diagnosed deaths were due to ship strikes and 85 percent were due to entanglements, it said.
The Del Norte Triplicate reports: July 7, 2016. Last year’s crab season delay had a disastrous impact on our state’s fishing industry, and it wasn’t great news for humpback whales either – California saw a record number of entanglements… Read More ›
Crab fishermen have taken the lead on this issue and many are already taking part in a limited basis pilot project that was initiated two years ago. Approximately 1,500 lost crab pots have been collected in that program. SB 1287 will build upon the successful pilot project by advancing a statewide solution to the growing problem.
“We now have the best, most comprehensive assessment of trash and plastic waste on some of our most iconic marine wildlife,” said Nicholas Mallos, Director of the Trash Free Seas Program at Ocean Conservancy.
A humpback whale entangled in fishing gear in Unalaska Bay ended up giving its body to art and science last week. The whale was last seen barely alive, trailing lines from a big fishing pot, perhaps a crab pot, but… Read More ›
Editor’s Note: This whale disentanglement story is unique–an entangled humpback whale under an apparent attack by a great white shark. By Rosa Nguyen GLOBE CORRESPONDENT JULY 12, 2015 Scientists rescued a humpback whale entangled in ropes and bitten by a… Read More ›
Marine mammal entanglement, or “by-catch,” is a global problem that results in the death of hundred of thousands of whales, dolphins, porpoises and seals every year. For large whales, the impact is typically not immediate as the animals can pull gear off the ocean floor and swim off with it.
Of the 30 cases last year, seven whales were disentangled and released free of lines, seven were found dead, two were observed to self-release and the remaining entangled whales had an unknown fate. Most recent entanglements have occurred with Dungeness crab gear, although lobster and spot prawn gear as well as gillnets have also been identified.
WASHINGTON: Debris in the ocean, such as plastic and glass, has been having a life-threatening global impact on marine life. Nearly 700 species of marine animal have been recorded as having encountered man-made debris according to the most comprehensive impact… Read More ›
“Marine debris casts its ominous shadow and threatens to break the virtuous circle which would otherwise guarantee sustainable livelihoods and incentives to protect wildlife.”
Neptune 911! 