Each year, NOAA Fisheries collects, verifies, documents, and responds to reports of large whale entanglements along the U.S. West Coast from a variety of sources including boaters, fishermen, law enforcement, marine resource agencies, and the public.In 2022, there were 30 reports of entangled whales off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California. There were also 2 reports in Mexico and one in Alaska of whales entangled in West Coast commercial fishing gear. Our highly trained entanglement response teams were able to respond to 22 cases, including four cases where all gear was removed from the whale. Thank you to our entanglement response teams!
How can we prevent whale entanglements? One important way is to mark all fishing gear, buoys, and lines to protect whales. Identifying fishing gear helps us manage fisheries and prevent whale deaths. For example, three California commercial Dungeness crab entanglements of humpback whales in March 2022 prompted early closure of the commercial season and limited use of recreational crab traps.\
2022 West Coast Whale Entanglement Report is now available:
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/document/2022-west-coast-whale-entanglement-summary
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