Humpback whale ‘hog-tied’ in fishing gear rescued off B.C. coast | 24CA News

A younger humpback whale was rescued off the coast of Vancouver Island on Monday when it was discovered snarled in fishing gear, in keeping with officers. 

Paul Cottrell, Marine Mammals Coordinator with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), stated the whale was discovered close to Port Hardy, B.C., “hog-tied” by about 120 metres of rope, which is believed to be a part of some leisure prawn fishing tools. 

“It definitely was a lethal entanglement long-term,” Cottrell informed All Points West host Jason D’Souza. “The animal was struggling even to swim.

“It was an actual mess.”

Cottrell said DFO got a call on Sunday morning alerting them to a whale in distress near the Broughton Archipelago. Within two hours crews were out on the water working to put a satellite tag on the humpback. 

By Monday morning, the animal had slowly made its way closer to Port Hardy. Cottrell said the rescue team went out shortly after. 

When they found the humpback, it was exhausted, and its tail was damaged according to Cottrell. It took rescuers three hours to cut the fishing gear off.

“The animal did get agitated and was pretty reactive a lot of instances,” Cottrell said.

But when it did come off, he said, the animal appeared relieved. 

“It was fairly energetic and shifting alongside a lot faster.”

Cottrell expects the animal’s tail will heal and that it will survive, and because it now has a tracking tag, officials will be able to monitor the whale. 

This is the first whale disentanglement rescue of the year for Cottrell, who told CHEK News he has been involved in more than 50 rescues throughout his career. 

In 2022, 396 humpback whales were spotted in the Salish Sea, up from 293 in 2017, according to the Canadian Pacific Humpback Collaboration. 

Humpbacks were considered a ‘threatened’ species in B.C. until 2014 when efforts to restore their numbers resulted in success.

The North Pacific population is still considered ‘of particular concern‘ underneath the federal Species At Risk Act, as their numbers are recovering however not but secure.

If you see an entangled whale, name the B.C. Marine Mammal hotline at 1-800-465-4336, accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days every week.