Reducing the number of large whale entanglements and minimizing the likelihood of large whales becoming entangled in fishing gear promotes the conservation of healthy whale populations along the U.S. West Coast.
This annual summary provides entanglement information and related updates that are particularly useful to those engaged in efforts to understand and address the issue on the U.S. West Coast from the fishery management perspective.
NOAA Fisheries is declaring an unusual spike in strandings of gray whales along the West Coast an Unusual Mortality Event, providing additional resources to respond to the strandings and triggering a focused scientific investigation into the cause.
This report provides a summary of large whale entanglements that occurred in U.S. waters in 2017 including species, locations, and an overview of response efforts.
NOAA and partners worked together off Sandy Hook, New Jersey yesterday to cut a length of rope entangling a juvenile humpback whale, giving the whale a second chance.
