Whales entangled at alarming rate along California coast

Whales entangled at alarming rate along California coast

Published December 10, 2015
[173]Associated Press
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In this Monday, Nov. 30, 2015 photo, Capt. David Anderson of Captain
Dave�s Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari in Dana Point, Calif., shows a
net a whale was found entangled in. Anderson was among the first to
realize whale entanglements were a serious problem when his tours kept
running into distressed whales. This year alone, more than 60 entangled
whales have been spotted along the coast, a more than 400 percent spike
over normal and a pattern that began in 2014. (AP Photo/Christine
Armario)

In this Monday, Nov. 30, 2015 photo, Capt. David Anderson of Captain
DaveÂ's Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari in Dana Point, Calif., shows a
net a whale was found entangled in. Anderson was among the first to
realize whale entanglements were a serious problem when his tours kept
running into distressed whales. This year alone, more than 60 entangled
whales have been spotted along the coast, a more than 400 percent spike
over normal and a pattern that began in 2014. (AP Photo/Christine
Armario)

An unusual warming in the Pacific Ocean may be having disastrous
consequences for the majestic whales that use the waters off California
as a migratory super-highway.

This year alone, more than 60 whales entangled in fishing gear have
been spotted along the coast - a more than 400 percent spike over
normal and a pattern that began in 2014. Scientists believe the whales
may be following prey closer to shore as warm water influences feeding
patterns, putting them on a collision course with fishermen, crabbers
and lobstermen.

Related: [179]Whales return to Long Island Sound after long hiatus

The situation is so dire that the crab fishery has begun working
closely with state and federal agencies and environmental groups to
figure out where and how the whales are running into their gear. The
ocean mammals also have become entangled in gill nets and lobster gear,
but authorities have identified the crab fishery as the most urgent
concern.

"This time of year, the whales would be offshore but with the blob of
warm water, they're right off the beach. They're right where the crabs
are," said Jim Anderson, a crabber who's helping to mobilize the
state's 562 licensed Dungeness crab fishermen. "You go talk to a guy
who's been fishing for 40 or 50 years and he's never seen anything like
it."

Whales that have rope stuck in their mouths or wrapped tightly around
their fins or tail will eventually die if they can't free themselves.
Highly trained volunteer rescue teams are only able to disentangle a
small percentage despite tracking devices that allow them to follow the
hobbled animals for miles. Many swim away and their fate is never
known.

Related: [180]Tourists get rare chance to pet gray whale and her calf

A humpback whale that was partially freed recently off La Jolla,
California had line stuck in its mouth, a huge knot of rope six feet
behind its tail and 200 additional feet of rope and buoys dragging
behind it. Another rescued nearby had a 70-foot line looped over its
tail that was connected to a lobster pot still swinging from the rope's
end underwater.

Keith Yip, who volunteers as the leader of a disentanglement team
sponsored by SeaWorld, was involved in both rescues. He's been called
out four times in the past six weeks and has logged 10 rescues in the
past two years - one-fifth of all the calls he's had in a 30-year


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