Humpback whales tangled in fishing lines off Maritimes not uncommon

The plight of two humpback whales entangled in fishing lines off the coast of Nova Scotia is not  uncommon, says an official with the Marine Animal Response Society.

"It's not a rare event," said Andrew Reid.

He says each year, the society gets about a dozen calls about whales entangled in fishing lines off the waters of the Maritimes.

Most recently, one whale was spotted off Cape Breton between Neil's Cove and Wreck Cove, while the other was seen in the Bay of Fundy.

Rescue efforts to disentangle the lines have failed.

Being tangled in fishing lines can make it difficult for the whales to get to the surface for air, can impede their feeding and can cause injury if the line is cutting into the skin, says Reid.

A conservation and welfare issue

For large whales, the problem can be a drawn-out process.

"It can be a few months for the whale to eventually succumb to the gear," said Reid.

Besides being a conservation issue, whales entangled in fishing lines are also a welfare issue because it can lead to starvation, says Reid.

The rescue process depends on the situation and each response is different, says Reid.

"It can be a pretty complicated process," he said.

Reid says rescue crews assess the animal and how it is entangled. Rescuers do this from a boat as they need to maintain some distance from the animals because they're large and powerful.

"It's not something where they just start cutting off ropes. You don't want to just cut off some of the loose ropes because it might make removing the entangling gear more difficult," he said.

A call for research into better fishing techniques and gear

Ideally, the rescuers aim to make the cut in one fell swoop.

Because the oceans are used for fishing, shipping and boating, there's always potential for an interaction with whales, says Reid.

"I think there is definitely room for research into fishing techniques and the gear that's used... I think there's definitely room to improve on that, so hopefully in the future, we'll reduce the number of entanglements," he said.

Anybody who spots the whales tangled in fishing lines or any struggling marine animal is asked to call the Marine Animal Response Society at 1-866-567-6277.