Out in the ocean, a sadder whale story unfolds
![Whale with tale snared by fishing gear](https://www.universalhub.com/files/styles/main_image/public/images/2024/whalecaught.jpg?itok=VSCHMu17)
Hope Cole reports that on a whale-watch cruise to Stellwagen Bank, people spotted a humpback whale in distress - rope from some fishing gear wrapped around its tail.
She reports her boat stayed with the whale until another boat could arrive and stay with it to await a disentanglement crew from the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown.
A marine biologist who was on the boat adds:
On today's trip, we encountered a humpback whale that was splashing up a storm! Unfortunately, upon approaching this whale, we noticed the surface activity was more evident of a distressed whale. We documented some fishing line wrapped over the trunk of the whale. As it lobtailed, flipper slapped, and rolled at the surface, the whale became further entangled with the line wrapping around the pectoral flippers, tailstock, and fluke.
She added:
Over 50% of the whales on Stellwagen Bank have scarring consistent with entanglement, and approximately 12% of the Gulf of Maine population gets entangled every year. Entanglement can lead to distress, injuries, and, in severe cases, fatalities in whales of all sizes.
Ad:
Comments
Stupid ignorant careless
Stupid ignorant careless humans. I hope the humans who are the opposite rescue this beautiful whale and then thank their professors and mentors who graced them with their education in this field.
Ghost nets
Ghost fishing gear is a huge problem:
https://oceanconservancy.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/UNEA5.2_GGGI.pdf
Which means eating fish is a huge problem
because it is basically impossible to police fishing boats and what they do out there.
Enzo is the name of the humpback
From the photos, Enzo appears to be a juvenile fella. I hope that the rescue team is able to intervene, but if he's thrashing, they may have to hold off until he's quieter and staying at the surface.
The Whale and Dolphin Conservation US is a locally based organization which coordinates the efforts of many whale and cetacean researchers and rescuers. It also covers more MA coastal area to facilitate timely rescues.