Update: stranded right whale was entangled in Maine fishing gear

As I reported last month, 2024 has already seen one confirmed right whale death. In January, a three year old female right whale washed ashore at Martha’s Vineyard, fishing gear wrapped around her tail.

Now, scientists know more about the entanglement that likely led to this young whale’s death.

This whale didn’t die immediately after getting caught up in fishing gear. She was first spotted in 2022 with rope wrapped tightly around her tail. Then just one year old, scientists feared that, as she grew, the rope would dig deeper into her tail, putting her at a higher risk of infection and serious injury.

Last week, the preliminary findings of the whale’s necropsy (an autopsy for whales) suggested that the rope was indeed at fault. While the final cause of death is still pending further analysis, marine biologists noted that the whale was underweight, often a clear sign of health problems, and that the rope had dug deep into her flesh.

Today, NOAA released their analysis of the rope. They found that it had purple markings consistent with the gear used in the Maine trap/pot industry, which is primarily used to catch lobster and crab. This type of gear, with different markings, is used throughout the North Atlantic fishing industry, including in Canada. While some New England trade groups for fishing companies tend to point fingers elsewhere, this entanglement finally makes it clear that, for right whales, it doesn’t matter if the gear is Canadian or American. Conventional traps and pots can spell a death sentence.

It’s clear: this whale suffered for years because she was caught up in this fishing gear. Instead of growing old, bearing calves and helping her species survive into the next century, she will be another number on NOAA’s too-long list of right whale mortalities.

We want to see more right whales thriving.Photo by Sea to Shore Alliance/NOAA under NOAA Permit #15488 | Public Domain

As terribly sad and frustrating as this news is, there is one clear bit of hope that comes from these findings: We can spare right whales from these horrific deaths.

If people who love whales come together to demand change, we can get the fishing industry to adopt new, whale-safe gear that would eliminate the risk of entanglement for right whales. We can call on corporate, Congressional and adminsitrative leaders to use every tool in their toolbox to ensure that this is the last whale that washes ashore tangled in our fishing gear.