Experts demand action after concerning series of whale deaths off US coast: 'Should be a wake-up call'

Conservation groups are petitioning the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission to take measures to protect humpback whales.

What's happening?

Four humpback whales were discovered entangled in commercial Dungeness crab fishing gear in Oregon last year. 

As a result, according to a release from the Center for Biological Diversity, several conservation groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity, banded together to petition the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission for stronger protections.

Specifically, the petition requests a reduction in the amount of fishing gear dangerous to whales during migration and feeding seasons and recommends pop-up fishing gear in its place. Pop-up fishing gear eliminates the need for untended buoy lines, helping prevent marine life entanglement. 

The California Dungeness crab fishery has tested this gear with good results, showing that it is not only safe for whales and other marine animals but also reliable and profitable. 

Fisheries director at Oceana, Ben Enticknap, explained in the release: "The latest dead humpback whale should be a wake-up call that entanglements in Oregon crab gear are a major problem. Oregon fishery managers should act quickly to strengthen conservation measures to reduce whale entanglements."

Why is whale entanglement concerning?

Many kinds of commercial fishing gear can entangle whales, sea turtles, and other marine life. While sometimes these animals escape, they often die. Even if they do manage to get free, they may remain tangled in part of the net or be injured. 

Commercial fishing has already driven humpback whales to the brink of extinction once. While humpback whale populations have recovered since then, their deaths from being caught in fishing gear risk making the population endangered again.

Additionally, fishing gear like this contributes to plastic pollution in our oceans. Fishing gear containing plastic sheds microplastics into the water, which marine animals then consume. Not only can these tiny particles harm them, but when people eat seafood with microplastics, they, too, may experience harm, as scientists have linked microplastics to health issues like dementia. 

What can be done to stop whale entanglements?

Actions like those taken by these conservation groups are a significant step toward ending marine animal entanglement. However, it is yet unknown how the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission will respond, as it has 90 days from receipt of the petition to reply.

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For now, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is investigating recent humpback whale deaths and has issued an advisory strongly recommending that fishers take steps to avoid entanglements. 

To further reduce plastic pollution, it's important that we all use less plastic in our daily lives and either recycle or responsibly dispose of the plastic that we use.

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