3 North Atlantic right whales spotted entangled in gear this month

Three North Atlantic right whales have been spotted entangled in fishing gear off the coast of the U.S. just this month, according to information from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries.

The first two were spotted on Dec. 9 off the coast of Nantucket, Mass. The 13-year-old female and three-year-old male were spotted by survey teams.

The most recent sighting took place on Dec. 16, when another juvenile male was seen off the coast of North Carolina. That whale was last seen gear-free in the Bay of Fundy two months ago.

"Lobster and crab gear is the biggest threat because that's the most common fishery," said Amy Knowlton, senior scientist with the New England Aquarium.

"Any sort of fixed-gear fishing where the gear is put out to sea and then the fisherman leaves for some number of days and then comes back to retrieve it … it's a risk to whales."

The North Atlantic right whale is critically endangered with fewer than 400 remaining.

NOAA scientists say the juvenile male in the first sighting has a thick fishing line across its head and back and is not expected to survive. The female is expected to survive.

The whale spotted off North Carolina has several lines crossing over and wrapping its head and mouth, and two buoys attached to the line. There is also a fishing line trailing the whale. 

"They're swimming for long periods of time with their mouth wide open, through these patches of plankton," Knowlton said, describing how the whale likely got entangled.

"But when they hit that line, they freak out, they just start rolling and thrashing. They know this is not a good thing for them to be dealing with."

The third whale is also not expected to survive because the gear prevents it from feeding.

More surveying, more sightings

Knowlton says while scientists will often try to disentangle the animal, current weather conditions aren't safe enough to try to help the most recently spotted whale.

"In many cases the whales are very far offshore or they're found later in the day and there's no way to get a team out there safely to do that work," she said. "And even if a team could get out there, it's a very difficult process and not always successful."

The first two whales will be monitored, according to a media release.

Knowlton estimates that teams try to help about 25 per cent of entangled whales, and of that, about half the attempts are considered successful.

"[Canada and the U.S.] have been putting in measures to address entanglement risk," Knowlton said. "But I think what we're finding is that the changes are not extensive enough to turn things around for this species because entanglements are still happening."

Knowlton says she wants the public to know about the risks to North Atlantic right whales, and other large whales, to help with advocacy efforts.

"This is a species that can be saved, and we hope that as a community of people who both love the whales, and who use the oceans to make a living, that we can come together to keep working on these solutions and helping industries adapt to different ways of doing their work," she said.